3. Figure out when your tenancy ends if you gave no notice

If you didn't give any notice at all, your tenancy will end on the earliest date that it could have ended if you had given a proper notice on the day your landlord found out you had moved.

To figure out the earliest termination date you could have used, check the notice requirements for your type of tenancy: monthly tenancy, weekly or daily tenancy, or fixed-term tenancy.

Example 1:

You are month-to-month tenant. You move out on March 31 without giving your landlord any notice. Your landlord doesn't find out until April 6, when the superintendent comes to ask for the rent. If you had given notice on April 6, the earliest termination date you could have used was June 30. So your tenancy will end on June 30 and you are not responsible for rent after that date.

Example 2:

You had a 2-year lease that ends on August 31, 2015. You moved out on March 31, 2015 without giving your landlord any notice. Your landlord found out on March 31 when you returned your keys to the building office. On that date you could have given a notice for May 31 – if you did not have a 2-year lease.

If you had given notice on March 31, the earliest termination date you could have used was the last day of the fixed term, August 31. So you could be responsible for the rent for that long – but only if your landlord is truly unable to rent the place to a new tenant.