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 an employee in Northern Ireland who is leaving their job: a letter that resigns, states the notice your contract requires (at least one week once you have worked a month, Article 118 of the Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996) and the last day of employment, and asks for written confirmation, final pay including holiday earned and not taken, and your P45. Hand it to your manager and send it by email the same day, keeping a copy.

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 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to a bank, building society, utility, landlord or any organisation the attorney has dealt with, saying the power has been revoked, asking them to stop accepting the attorney’s instructions and to confirm it in writing.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 business in Northern Ireland owed money by a company or LLP that has not paid an invoice. The final letter before a claim: it sets out the debt, claims statutory interest at 8% above the Bank of England reference rate and the fixed sum of £40, £70 or £100 under the Late Payment Act (or the interest your contract sets), gives 14 days to pay or dispute, and names the next step — a claim in the county court, heard as a small claim up to £5,000. It goes by Royal Mail Signed For or by hand.

For a consumer in Northern Ireland whose goods from a business turn out faulty, not as described or unfit for their purpose. Within 30 days you can reject them for a full refund; after that, you ask for one repair or replacement first (Consumer Rights Act 2015, sections 9 to 23). The letter states the fault and your choice, and is your final letter before a claim: the trader has 14 days to reply before you make a small claim in the county court, which hears claims of up to £5,000. Send it to the retailer, not the manufacturer, by email and by recorded delivery (Royal Mail Signed For).

For an employee in Northern Ireland who is the child's father, or the mother's spouse, civil partner or partner, with 26 weeks' service by the 15th week before the baby is due: a notice of paternity leave — one week or two consecutive weeks, taken within 56 days of the birth — giving the expected week of childbirth, when the leave starts and the declaration that you will share responsibility for the child's upbringing. Northern Ireland keeps these rules; Great Britain's separate weeks and day-one right do not apply. Hand it in and email it.

For someone in Northern Ireland chased by a debt collector or debt buyer for a debt they do not recognise, dispute or believe is more than six years old. The letter does not acknowledge the debt: it asks for proof — the agreement, a statement of account, the default notice and the assignment — or states that the debt is statute-barred under the Limitation (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 and will not be paid, which FCA rules require a firm collecting a regulated credit debt to respect. Send it by recorded delivery (Royal Mail Signed For), and keep a copy.

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 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 the registered keeper of a vehicle in Northern Ireland who has received a notice under Article 177 of the Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 1981 asking who was driving, usually with a speeding or other motoring offence notice. Fill in the form sent with it, then send it with this letter, which names you or another driver, names the keeper if you had sold the vehicle, or explains what you did to find out. Reply within the time the notice gives: failing to name the driver is an offence carrying six penalty points.

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 bereaved parent in Northern Ireland — after the death of a child, a stillbirth or, since 6 April 2026, a pregnancy loss before 24 weeks, for the mother and her partner: a short notice telling your employer you will take parental bereavement leave, with the date of the loss, how you will take the two weeks (one week, two together or two separate weeks) and when the leave starts, and asking about the pay. No medical evidence is needed. The Labour Relations Agency's guide is free. Sold blank, to complete by hand.

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 business in Scotland owed money by a company or LLP that has not paid an invoice. Scotland has no pre-action protocol for debts, but the simple procedure claim form asks what you did to settle: this letter sets out the debt, claims statutory interest at 8% above the Bank of England reference rate and the fixed sum of £40, £70 or £100 under the Late Payment Act (or the interest your contract sets), gives 14 days to pay or dispute, and warns of an action in the sheriff court — simple procedure up to £5,000. Sent by recorded delivery.

For a parent in Northern Ireland whose child has been off school ill and whose school asks for a note. A short letter to the school giving the dates of the absence and the day you first told the school, and asking for it to be recorded as an absence because of illness. It does not describe the illness; if the school wants evidence, its attendance policy says what. Handed in or emailed. Sold blank, to complete by hand, as it holds health data DocMuse does not collect.

For an employee in Northern Ireland with parental responsibility for a child under 18 and at least one year's service: a notice taking unpaid parental leave, giving the child, the dates and the number of weeks. The default rules allow 18 weeks for each child, up to four weeks a year, in whole weeks, with at least 21 days' notice. The employer can postpone the leave for up to six months, but not refuse it. nidirect explains parental leave free. Hand it in and email it.

For a consumer in Northern Ireland whose faulty goods were repaired or replaced once and are still faulty, or whom the trader did not repair or replace within a reasonable time. The letter uses the final right to reject for a refund, or keeps the goods and asks for a price reduction (section 24 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015), and is your final letter before a claim, with 14 days to reply before a small claim in the county court (up to £5,000). Send it to the retailer by email and by recorded delivery (Royal Mail Signed For), with a copy of the earlier correspondence.

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 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 private landlord or letting agent in Northern Ireland who needs to enter a tenant’s home to inspect it, carry out repairs, or arrange the annual gas safety check or the five-yearly electrical inspection. The notice gives the date, time and purpose, says who will attend, carries the landlord registration number and invites the tenant to propose another time. A tenant must allow entry at reasonable times on reasonable notice (Article 12 of the Private Tenancies (Northern Ireland) Order 2006); no one enters without agreement except in an emergency.

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 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.