Notice & Demand: templates and forms

For a traveller in Scotland whose package holiday — flights and hotel, or other travel services sold together — was not as booked: a different or poor hotel, missing services, a changed itinerary. Under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018, which apply across the UK, the organiser is responsible for every part of the package and owes a price reduction and compensation for what went wrong. The letter claims them and is a letter before action with 14 days to reply, then simple procedure in the sheriff court. Send it to the organiser by email and by first class post.

For a consumer who bought goods or a service online, by phone or away from the trader's premises and has changed their mind. The notice cancels the contract within the 14-day cancellation period of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, with no reason needed, and asks for a refund within 14 days. The model cancellation form the trader must give you, or its own online form, does the same job free. Send it by email and by first class post with a free certificate of posting, and keep a copy.

For a customer who has cancelled a Direct Debit or standing order with their bank — usually in online banking, free and at once — and needs to tell the company it paid. Cancelling the payment does not end a contract or a debt, so the letter states your position: the contract has ended, you will pay another way, or you dispute the charges. Under the Direct Debit Guarantee, your bank refunds at once any payment taken in error. Send it by email and by first class post.

For a traveller in Northern Ireland whose package holiday — flights and hotel, or other travel services sold together — was not as booked: a different or poor hotel, missing services, a changed itinerary. Under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 the organiser is responsible for every part of the package and owes a price reduction and compensation for what went wrong. The letter claims them and is your final letter before a small claim in the county court, with 14 days to reply. Send it to the organiser by email and by recorded delivery (Royal Mail Signed For).

For a traveller whose package holiday — flights and hotel, or other travel services sold together — was not as booked: a different or poor hotel, missing services, a changed itinerary. Under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 the organiser is responsible for every part of the package and owes a price reduction and compensation for what went wrong. The letter claims them and is a letter before claim with 14 days to reply. Send it to the organiser by email and by first class post.

For someone in Northern Ireland who has revoked a power of attorney given under the Powers of Attorney Act (Northern Ireland) 1971: a letter to a bank, building society, utility, landlord or any organisation the attorney has dealt with, saying the power has ended, asking it to stop taking the attorney’s instructions and to confirm this in writing. It encloses a copy of the deed of revocation and goes by Royal Mail Signed For or by hand.

For a member who wants to end a gym membership, a club or a paid subscription. The notice ends the contract on the basis you choose — its own notice terms, the end of the minimum term, or the 14-day cancellation right for a contract made online or by phone — and asks the provider to take no payment after the last one due. The subscription rules of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 are not yet in force. Send it by the channel the contract names, or by email and first class post.

For a business in Scotland ending a contract with a supplier, customer or other business, either on the notice the contract allows or because the other side has committed a material breach. The letter identifies the contract and the clause relied on, gives the end date, describes any breach, and records that payments due and surviving terms continue. Follow the contract's notices clause on address, method and timing, and keep proof of delivery. Ending a contract for a breach that is not material can itself be a breach, so take advice if unsure.

For a business in England and Wales ending a contract with a supplier, customer or other business, either on the notice the contract allows or because the other side has seriously broken it. The letter identifies the contract and the clause relied on, gives the end date, describes any breach, and records that payments due and surviving terms continue. Follow the contract's notices clause on address, method and timing, and keep proof of delivery. Ending a contract for a breach that is not serious enough can itself be a breach, so take advice if unsure.

For a tenant in Scotland with a private residential tenancy who wants to move out. You end it by a notice in writing, given freely, that states the day your tenancy ends: more than 28 days after your landlord receives it, unless the landlord agrees in writing to a different period. Today every joint tenant must sign. The notice can ask the landlord to agree an earlier date, asks for a check-out and gives your new address. Send it by recorded delivery or by hand, or by email if your landlord agreed to email in writing; a posted notice counts as received 48 hours after sending.

For a business in Northern Ireland ending a contract with a supplier, customer or other business, either on the notice the contract allows or because the other side has seriously broken it. The letter identifies the contract and the clause relied on, gives the end date, describes any breach, and records that payments due and surviving terms continue. Follow the contract’s notices clause on address, method and timing, and keep proof of delivery. Ending a contract for a breach that is not serious enough can itself be a breach, so take advice if unsure.

For someone in Scotland who has revoked a general or one-off power of attorney: a letter to a bank, building society, utility, landlord or any organisation the attorney has dealt with, saying the power has been revoked, asking them to stop accepting the attorney’s instructions and to confirm it in writing. It encloses a copy of the signed revocation and goes by recorded delivery, or by hand. Not for a continuing or welfare power registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland), which is ended through the OPG.

For a homeowner or tenant in Northern Ireland who lives in the home and wants a lodger to leave. The notice refers to your lodger agreement, gives the date it ends — at least four weeks ahead in writing (eight weeks once the lodger has lived with you for more than a year), or the longer period the agreement sets — asks for the room to be cleared and the keys returned, and says what happens to the deposit. Hand it over in person and keep a copy the lodger has signed. Not for a tenant who has the home or part of it to themselves: a landlord’s notice to quit is a different document.

For a private landlord or letting agent in Northern Ireland whose tenant has fallen behind with the rent. The letter sets out the arrears period by period, asks the tenant to pay or propose a repayment plan by a set date, points to free advice from Housing Rights, Advice NI and others, and carries the landlord registration number. It says that if the arrears are not resolved the landlord may end the tenancy by notice to quit, as the law and the tenancy allow, and then apply to the court. It never threatens to change the locks or remove belongings.

For a consumer in Northern Ireland whose builder, decorator, garage, repairer or other service provider did the work badly or not as agreed. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 a trader must perform a service with reasonable care and skill; the letter asks for the work to be put right at the trader's cost or, where that is not possible, for a price reduction (sections 49, 55 and 56), and is your final letter before a small claim in the county court, with 14 days to reply. Send it by email and by recorded delivery (Royal Mail Signed For), with photos.

For someone who has revoked a power of attorney they gave under the 1971 Act: a letter to a bank, building society, utility, landlord or any organisation the attorney has dealt with, saying the power has been revoked, asking them to stop accepting the attorney’s instructions and to confirm it in writing. It encloses a copy of the deed of revocation and goes first class with a free certificate of posting, or by hand.

For a customer who wants to close a current account with a bank or building society. Under regulation 51 of the Payment Services Regulations 2017 you can end a current account at any time, subject to a notice period of up to one month if your terms set one, and closing is free once the account has been open for six months. The letter asks the bank to close the account, cancel cards and payments, pay the remaining balance to another account and confirm the closure in writing. Most banks also close accounts free in the app, by phone or in a branch.

For a pregnant employee in Northern Ireland: the written notice of your pregnancy, the expected week of childbirth, the date you want your maternity leave to start and the date for Statutory Maternity Pay, given by the end of the 15th week before the expected week, with your MAT B1 certificate enclosed or to follow. It asks your employer to confirm in writing, within 28 days, when your leave ends and what you will be paid. nidirect explains maternity pay and leave free. Hand it in and email it.

For a private tenant in Northern Ireland who wants to move out of a periodic tenancy, including one that has rolled on after a fixed term. A tenant ends it by notice to quit in writing: at least four weeks if the tenancy has lasted ten years or less, twelve weeks if longer (Article 14A of the Private Tenancies (Northern Ireland) Order 2006). The notice gives your end date with a saving clause, can ask the landlord to agree an earlier date, asks for a check-out and the deposit, and gives your new address. Send it by recorded delivery, or hand it over.

For a consumer in Northern Ireland whose order from an online or high-street trader has not arrived. Under section 28 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the trader must deliver within the agreed time or, if none was agreed, within 30 days, and the goods stay at its risk until you have them (section 29), so a parcel lost in transit is its problem. The letter gives a final 14 days to deliver, after which the contract ends, a full refund is due and you may make a small claim for it in the county court. Send it by email and by recorded delivery (Royal Mail Signed For).

For a private landlord or letting agent in Scotland whose tenant has fallen behind with the rent. Before applying to the tribunal on the rent arrears ground, a landlord must meet the pre-action requirements: this letter gives the tenant clear information on the tenancy terms, the arrears period by period, the tenant’s rights in eviction proceedings and where to find free advice on money and debt, and invites them to agree a reasonable repayment plan by a set date. It never threatens to change the locks: only a tribunal order can end the tenancy. Send it by recorded delivery and keep a copy.

For a consumer in Scotland whose order from an online or high-street trader has not arrived. Under section 28 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the trader must deliver within the agreed time or, if none was agreed, within 30 days, and the goods stay at its risk until you have them (section 29), so a parcel lost in transit is its problem. The letter gives a final 14 days to deliver, after which the contract ends and a full refund is due; it is also a letter before action, with simple procedure in the sheriff court as the next step. Send it by email and by first class post.

For a consumer whose order from an online or high-street trader has not arrived. Under section 28 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the trader must deliver within the agreed time or, if none was agreed, within 30 days, and the goods stay at its risk until you have them (section 29), so a parcel lost in transit is its problem. The letter gives a final 14 days to deliver, after which the contract ends and a full refund is due. Send it by email and by first class post.

For a pregnant employee in England, Wales or Scotland: the written notice of your pregnancy, the expected week of childbirth, the date you want your maternity leave to start and the date for Statutory Maternity Pay, given by the end of the 15th week before the expected week, with your MAT B1 certificate enclosed or to follow. It asks your employer to confirm in writing, within 28 days, when your leave ends and what you will be paid. GOV.UK explains maternity pay and leave free. Hand it in and email it.