Ending a Tenancy in WA: Form 1C, Notice Periods & Fixed vs Periodic Leases
Ending a rental tenancy in Western Australia? Learn when landlords use Form 1C, the 30 and 60-day notice rules, fixed vs periodic leases and common mistakes.
Ending a residential tenancy in Western Australia sounds straightforward until you actually have to do it.
The lease has an end date. You want the property back. You tell the tenant when they need to leave.
Unfortunately, that is not necessarily enough.
WA tenancy law has specific rules about how a tenancy ends, how much notice must be given and which notice should be used. One of the most important documents for landlords is the Notice of Termination — Form 1C.
And there is one particularly important trap for self-managing landlords:
A fixed-term tenancy does not automatically end simply because the date written on the lease has arrived.
If neither party properly ends the agreement and the tenant remains in the property, the tenancy can continue as a periodic tenancy.
Here is how the process works.
Important: This article provides general information about residential tenancies in Western Australia and is not legal advice. Tenancy circumstances can differ. Always check the current WA Consumer Protection requirements and forms before issuing a termination notice.
What is Form 1C in WA?
Form 1C is the prescribed Notice of Termination used by landlords in a range of circumstances to formally notify a tenant that their residential tenancy is being terminated.
The amount of notice required depends on why the tenancy is ending and whether the agreement is fixed-term or periodic.
That distinction matters.
A landlord ending a fixed-term tenancy at its normal expiry date is dealing with a different notice period from a landlord ending an ongoing periodic tenancy without giving a particular reason.
WA Consumer Protection’s current guidance says Form 1C is required in most situations where a landlord is ending a tenancy.
Fixed-term vs periodic tenancy: first identify what you have
Before calculating any dates, determine what type of tenancy agreement currently exists.
Fixed-term tenancy
A fixed-term agreement has a specified commencement and expiry date.
For example:
1 February 2026 to 31 January 2027.
It is tempting to assume that the tenant must simply leave on 31 January.
That is not how the current WA rules operate.
WA Consumer Protection states that a fixed-term agreement does not simply stop at the end date. If the expiry date passes, the tenant has not entered another fixed-term agreement and the landlord has not properly given notice requiring the tenant to leave, the agreement can automatically become periodic.
Periodic tenancy
A periodic tenancy has no fixed end date.
It continues until either the landlord or tenant ends it in accordance with the applicable termination rules.
Many periodic tenancies actually begin as fixed-term leases and become periodic after the fixed term expires.
That makes keeping accurate tenancy records important.
How much notice does a landlord give at the end of a fixed-term lease?
If a landlord wants a fixed-term tenancy to finish at the end of its agreed term, the landlord generally needs to give the tenant at least 30 days’ written notice using Form 1C.
WA Consumer Protection’s landlord checklist specifically instructs landlords to give a minimum of 30 days’ written notice using Form 1C if they want a fixed-term tenancy to finish on its end date.
There is an important timing consequence here.
If you suddenly realise seven days before the lease expiry date that you want the tenant out, you cannot generally make the tenant leave simply because the lease says it expires next week.
The required notice period still matters.
Example
Suppose a fixed-term tenancy expires on:
30 November 2026
The landlord wants possession back when the fixed term finishes.
The landlord should work backwards from the proposed possession date and ensure the tenant receives the required notice.
Leaving the decision until late November creates an unnecessary problem.
For self-managing landlords, a good practice is to set a reminder well before the final 30 days so you have time to decide whether you intend to renew, allow the tenancy to become periodic or terminate it.
Can Form 1C be given before the fixed term expires?
Yes.
In fact, that is normally exactly what needs to happen if the landlord wants possession at the end of the fixed term.
The notice can be served before the lease expires, with the possession date aligned appropriately with the tenancy expiry and required notice period.
The key is that the notice must comply with the applicable timing rules.
Don’t confuse:
the date you issue the notice
with
the date the tenant is required to give possession of the property.
They are not the same date.
How much notice must a landlord give on a periodic tenancy?
For a general termination of a periodic residential tenancy without a particular reason, the landlord generally needs to give at least 60 days’ notice using Form 1C.
WA Consumer Protection currently describes this as a general or “no grounds” termination of a periodic agreement.
This is significantly different from the 30-day rule associated with ending a fixed-term tenancy at its expiry.
A simple way to remember the ordinary distinction is:
Fixed term ending at expiry: generally 30 days.
Periodic tenancy, general termination: generally 60 days.
But those are not universal notice periods for every termination scenario.
Different rules apply where the tenancy is ending because of matters such as rent arrears, another breach, sale of the property or serious circumstances.
What if the rental property has been sold?
Selling a tenanted property does not automatically terminate the tenancy.
This is particularly important where a fixed-term agreement exists.
WA Consumer Protection states that when a property is sold during a tenancy, the purchaser takes on the landlord’s responsibilities.
A landlord cannot simply terminate an existing fixed-term tenancy early because the property has been sold.
If vacant possession is required under the sale contract, the landlord must deal with the tenancy correctly. For a fixed-term tenancy, this can include obtaining the tenant’s written agreement to end early or ensuring settlement and the required notice are compatible with the end of the fixed term.
For a periodic tenancy, different notice provisions can apply where the property has been sold and the contract requires vacant possession.
This is one situation where landlords should check the exact current Consumer Protection requirements rather than relying on the general 60-day rule.
What if the tenant has breached the lease?
A tenancy ending because of a breach follows a different process from an ordinary end-of-tenancy notice.
For breaches other than failure to pay rent, a landlord will commonly begin with Form 20 — Notice to Tenant of Breach of Agreement.
The tenant generally has 14 days to remedy the breach.
If the breach is not remedied, the landlord may then be able to issue Form 1C requiring the tenant to vacate, subject to the applicable process and notice period. WA Consumer Protection’s current guidance describes a seven-day termination notice after an unresolved Form 20 breach.
LandlordLogic already has a detailed guide covering that process:
Breach Notice WA: Form 20 — How and When to Use It
Rent arrears also have their own specific process:
Rent Arrears in WA: Form 21 Landlord Guide
Don’t substitute an ordinary 30 or 60-day termination process for the correct breach or rent-arrears procedure.
Can a landlord just change the locks after the termination date?
No.
A termination notice and an eviction are not the same thing.
If the termination date passes and the tenant does not leave, the landlord cannot simply arrive with a locksmith, remove the tenant’s possessions or physically force the tenant from the property.
WA Consumer Protection explicitly states that a landlord must not force a tenant out or change the locks without the required court process.
The landlord may need to apply to the Magistrates Court for an order terminating the tenancy and requiring possession of the property.
That distinction is worth remembering:
Form 1C tells the tenant the tenancy is being terminated.
It does not give a landlord unrestricted authority to personally evict someone who remains in the property.
What happens if nobody gives notice when a fixed-term lease expires?
This is one of the easiest mistakes for a self-managing landlord to make.
Imagine a 12-month lease expires on 31 October.
The landlord assumes the tenant is leaving.
The tenant assumes they can remain.
Nobody has properly dealt with the end of the tenancy.
The expiry date arrives and the tenant continues living at the property.
Under WA Consumer Protection’s current guidance, where the end date passes, no new fixed-term agreement has been signed and the landlord has not issued the required notice to move out, the tenancy automatically changes to a periodic tenancy.
That changes the landlord’s position.
Instead of simply treating the old expiry date as the move-out date, the landlord may now need to terminate the periodic tenancy using the appropriate procedure.
This is why lease-expiry reminders should be part of even a very simple landlord management system.
A practical lease-expiry timeline
Don’t wait until the final month to start thinking about the tenancy.
A more useful workflow looks something like this.
Around 90 days before expiry
Review the tenancy.
Consider:
- whether you want to retain the tenant;
- whether you intend to offer another fixed term;
- whether you would prefer the tenancy to become periodic;
- whether you need the property back;
- whether significant maintenance is planned; and
- whether your own circumstances have changed.
Around 60 days before expiry
Make a decision where reasonably possible.
If renewing, start discussing the proposed new agreement with the tenant.
If considering a rent increase, remember that WA’s rent-increase rules operate separately from the lease expiry date.
See:
Rent Increases in WA: Form 10, 60 Days’ Notice & the 12-Month Rule
At least 30 days before expiry
If you intend to end the fixed-term tenancy at expiry, make sure the correct termination notice has been prepared and served within the required timeframe.
Don’t leave this until the lease has almost finished.
Serving Form 1C correctly matters
Preparing the right notice is only part of the process.
You also need to consider how and when the notice is served.
Notice periods under tenancy law involve rules about counting days and service.
The date you type on a form is therefore not necessarily the first day of the statutory notice period.
How the notice is delivered can affect the calculation.
WA Consumer Protection provides specific guidance and flowcharts for counting notice periods. Before selecting a possession date, landlords should use those current instructions rather than simply adding 30 or 60 calendar days in their phone.
Keep evidence of service.
That might include the email, delivery record or other documentation showing exactly what notice was provided and when.
If a termination later becomes disputed, being able to prove service is considerably better than saying, “I’m pretty sure I sent it sometime last month.”
Common Form 1C mistakes
Several problems are avoidable with basic forward planning.
Assuming the lease expiry date automatically ends the tenancy. It doesn’t necessarily do so.
Using 30 days for every termination. A general periodic termination normally requires 60 days, while the end of a fixed term generally requires at least 30.
Using 60 days for every termination. Different procedures apply to breaches, rent arrears, property sales and other circumstances.
Starting the process too late. Discovering two weeks before expiry that you want possession back does not make the statutory notice period disappear.
Calculating the notice period incorrectly. Service and counting-day rules matter.
Using the wrong form. Always use the current prescribed WA form where one is required.
Assuming Form 1C itself authorises physical eviction. If the tenant does not leave, the landlord may need a court order.
Failing to keep evidence. Save the signed notice and proof showing when and how it was served.
What should happen before the tenant leaves?
Once the tenancy is genuinely approaching its end, there are several practical matters to organise.
The tenant should be given a reasonable opportunity to attend the final inspection.
The final property condition should be compared against the original Property Condition Report, taking fair wear and tear into account.
WA Consumer Protection’s current landlord checklist says the tenant should receive a copy of the final Property Condition Report within 14 days of the tenancy ending.
Bond claims should then be based on evidence rather than estimates or assumptions.
For that process, see:
Rental Bond Claims in WA: Landlord Evidence & 2026 Process
The simplest way to avoid termination problems
For most self-managing landlords, the solution is not more complicated software.
It is a calendar.
Record:
- lease commencement date;
- lease expiry date;
- rent increase history;
- 90-day lease review reminder;
- proposed renewal or termination decision;
- notice issue date;
- method of service;
- possession date;
- final inspection; and
- final Property Condition Report deadline.
Then retain the documents associated with each step.
A tenancy ending normally should be one of the least dramatic parts of managing a rental property.
Most problems occur because the landlord starts thinking about the process too late or assumes the lease expiry date will take care of everything automatically.
It won’t.
Know whether the tenancy is fixed or periodic, use the correct current notice, calculate the notice period properly and keep evidence of what you served.
That is considerably easier than trying to repair a defective termination process after the tenant disputes it.
Managing your own WA rental? Explore LandlordLogic’s practical WA guides and free landlord resources for notices, inspections, repairs, evidence and tenancy administration.