Louisiana Lease Termination and Notice Rules

Under La. Civ. Code art. 2727, a fixed-term lease terminates automatically at the end of its term, so no notice is required. For a lease with an indeterminate term, La. Civ. Code art. 2728 sets the timing: thirty calendar days for a term 'longer than a month'; 'in a month-to-month lease, ten calendar days before the end of that month'; five calendar days for a weekly term; and any time before expiration for terms shorter than a week. A fixed-term lease broken early exposes the lessee to liability for remaining rent, subject to the lessor's duty to mitigate. Active-duty servicemembers may terminate under the federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, 50 U.S.C. 3955, on deployment or PCS orders with written notice and a copy of the orders.

No specific statutory penalty for the lessor. A lessee who breaks a fixed-term lease early may owe the remaining rent, reduced by the lessor's reasonable re-rental efforts.