How to Fill Out CAR Form NTT: Just Cause, Notice Period, and Service

To fill out C.A.R. Form NTT, the Notice of Termination of Tenancy, you identify every tenant and the full property address, choose a termination date that gives the legally required notice (plus five days if you serve by mail within California), and — for properties covered by the Tenant Protection Act — check the just cause box, write in the specific reason, and complete the relocation assistance section for any no-fault termination. The form is published by the California Association of Realtors and is used to end a month-to-month or other periodic tenancy in writing. A notice with the wrong period, a missing just cause, or an unfilled relocation section cannot support an eviction if the tenant stays.

Check Whether the Property Is Covered by Just Cause

Do this before you write anything on the form. If the property is exempt from the Tenant Protection Act, you skip the just cause reason, you owe no relocation assistance, and the notice is much simpler. Civil Code Section 1946.2(e) lists the exempt categories:

Housing that received a certificate of occupancy within the previous 15 years.
A unit where the tenant shares a bathroom or kitchen with the owner who lives there as a primary residence.
A single-family owner-occupied home where the owner rents no more than two units or bedrooms, including an ADU.
An owner-occupied duplex where the owner occupied one unit as a principal residence at the start of the tenancy and still lives there, and neither unit is an ADU.
A separately alienable single-family home or condo, not owned by a corporation, REIT, or LLC with a corporate member — but only if the tenant received the specific written exemption notice.¹

The last category trips up owners of single-family rentals. The exemption applies only if the tenant was given a notice containing the statute’s exact wording: “This property is not subject to the rent limits imposed by Section 1947.12 of the Civil Code and is not subject to the just cause requirements of Section 1946.2 of the Civil Code,” followed by confirmation that the owner is not a corporation, REIT, or qualifying LLC. Without that prior notice, you must comply with just cause rules even on a single-family rental.

Pick the Right Notice Period

The termination date on the form depends on who is giving notice and how long the tenant has lived there. Civil Code Section 1946.1 requires a landlord to give at least 30 days if the tenant has occupied the property for less than one year, and at least 60 days if the tenancy has lasted one year or longer.² A tenant ending a month-to-month tenancy gives 30 days regardless of length of occupancy.³

If you plan to serve by mail within California, add five calendar days to the notice period under Code of Civil Procedure Section 1013.⁴ A 30-day notice mailed on June 1 sets a vacate date of July 6, not July 1. Count from the day after service, never the day the notice is handed over. Courts dismiss unlawful detainer cases over a single day’s shortfall, so verify the math on paper before you sign.

Form NTT is not used to end a fixed-term lease on its scheduled expiration date. A fixed-term lease ends by its own terms.

Fill In the Form Section by Section

The form is available through the zipForms platform used by C.A.R. members and through brokerages that subscribe to the C.A.R. forms library.⁵

Parties and Property

List the full legal name of every adult occupant on the rental agreement. Missing a named tenant creates a gap a court can seize on later. Enter the complete property address including unit number and zip code. If the tenancy is month-to-month, note the start date or original lease date so anyone reading the notice can verify the 30-day or 60-day calculation.

Termination Date

This is the day by which the tenant must vacate. It is not the day you sign the form. Work forward from the day after service, apply the mail extension if applicable, and enter the resulting date. The signature date and the termination date both appear on the form and should not match unless service happens to be personal on the same day the form is signed and the required period runs out to that endpoint.

Just Cause (Covered Properties Only)

For a property covered by the Tenant Protection Act, the form requires you to check whether the termination is at-fault or no-fault and to write in the specific reason. This is not optional. A notice that omits the just cause is defective.

At-fault reasons include nonpayment of rent, breach of a material lease term, nuisance, criminal activity on the property, unauthorized subletting, and refusing the landlord lawful access to the unit.

No-fault reasons include the owner or an immediate family member moving in for at least 12 months, withdrawing the unit from the rental market, and complying with a government order requiring the tenant to leave. For an owner move-in, the notice must name the intended occupant and state their relationship to you.¹

Relocation Assistance (No-Fault Only)

On a covered property, a no-fault termination triggers relocation assistance equal to one month of the rent in effect when you serve the notice. Two options appear on the form. You either pay the amount directly within 15 calendar days of service, or you waive the tenant’s final month of rent in writing. Check the option you are using and complete the corresponding fields. Leaving this section blank on a no-fault notice is one of the most common ways to invalidate the whole thing.

Signature

The party initiating the termination signs and dates the form. The signature date records when the notice was prepared. It is separate from the termination date.

Serve the Notice and Document Delivery

A completed Form NTT has no legal effect until it is properly delivered. Civil Code Section 1946 authorizes service by the methods in Code of Civil Procedure Section 1162, or by certified or registered mail.³ Under CCP 1162, three methods run in order, and you move to the next only when the prior one is not possible:

Personal service: hand the notice directly to the tenant. Cleanest option, no added days.
Substituted service: if the tenant cannot be found at home or work, leave the notice with a person of suitable age and discretion at either location, and mail a copy to the tenant’s home address.
Post and mail: if no one suitable can be found, affix a copy to a conspicuous spot on the property and mail a copy to the tenant at the property address.⁶

Certified or registered mail is a separate authorized method under Civil Code Section 1946 and can be used without first attempting personal delivery. Any method involving mailing adds five calendar days to the notice period for California addresses.⁴

Whoever delivers the notice should immediately complete a proof of service form recording the date, time, method, and identity of the person served. C.A.R. publishes Form POSN (Proof of Service of Notice) for this. A third party who serves the notice can later testify as a disinterested witness if the tenant disputes receipt, which is stronger than having the landlord serve personally.

Common Mistakes That Void the Notice

Using a 30-day notice for a tenant who has occupied the unit for one year or more. The landlord owes 60 days.
Omitting the just cause reason on a property subject to the Tenant Protection Act.
Failing to offer relocation assistance or a written rent waiver on a no-fault termination. Payment must occur within 15 calendar days of service.
Serving by mail but calculating the termination date as if service were personal. Add five days for California addresses.
Leaving an adult occupant off the notice. Name everyone on the rental agreement.
Serving within 180 days of a tenant’s habitability complaint or other protected activity. Civil Code Section 1942.5 presumes the termination retaliatory, and a court can block the eviction.¹

Check Local Rules Before You Serve

The Tenant Protection Act is a statewide floor. Cities with their own rent control or just cause ordinances, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley, may impose stricter notice content, higher relocation payments, or narrower no-fault categories. Confirm what the local jurisdiction requires before filling out and serving Form NTT, because a notice that satisfies state law can still fall short of city rules.⁷

1
California Legislative Information. California Code CIV 1946.2 – Hiring of Real Property
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California Legislative Information. California Code CIV 1946.1 – Hiring of Real Property
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California Legislative Information. California Code CIV 1946 – Hiring of Real Property
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California Legislative Information. California Code CCP 1013 – Service by Mail
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zipForm. C.A.R. Form NTT Notice of Termination of Tenancy
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California Legislative Information. California Code CCP 1162 – Service of Notice
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State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Landlord-Tenant Issues