Eviction Notice Mexico (Aviso de Desahucio)

An Eviction Notice Mexico (Aviso de Desahucio) is a formal written notice served by a landlord (arrendador) upon a tenant (arrendatario) demanding that the tenant vacate residential or commercial premises within a specified period, grounded in the Código Civil Federal (CCF) Articles 2478 through 2490 and applicable state civil codes. In Mexican property law, desahucio refers specifically to the procedural act of notifying the tenant that the tenancy is terminated and possession of the property must be returned to the landlord, whether due to non-payment of rent (falta de pago), expiration of the lease term, unauthorized subletting (subarrendamiento no autorizado), or other material breach of the arrendamiento contract.

The Código Civil Federal Article 2478 establishes that when no fixed term is agreed, the lease is presumed open-ended (contrato por tiempo indeterminado) and either party may terminate by giving notice equal to the rent payment period — for monthly rent arrangements, 30 calendar days' written notice constitutes the statutory minimum. Article 2434 CCF provides that for fixed-term residential leases, the arrendador must give the tenant at least three months' written notice if the landlord does not intend to renew upon expiration. These statutory notice requirements protect the tenant's right to adequate time to secure alternative housing.

Where the eviction ground is non-payment of rent, the Código Civil Federal Article 2489 establishes the causes for rescission (causas de rescisión) of the arrendamiento contract — non-payment of renta by the arrendatario for two or more consecutive periods is a primary rescission cause entitling the landlord to initiate judicial eviction proceedings (juicio de desahucio) before the Juzgado Civil competente. The Aviso de Desahucio functions as the pre-judicial demand step — a documented written demand that establishes the landlord's good-faith attempt to resolve the matter before commencing litigation.

In Mexico City, residential eviction procedures are additionally governed by the Código de Procedimientos Civiles para el Distrito Federal (now Ciudad de México), which requires that the desahucio be preceded by a written notice served through a notarial requerimiento (notarial demand) or certified mail (correo certificado con acuse de recibo) addressed to the tenant at the leased property. The Procuraduría Social de la Ciudad de México (PROSOC) offers mediation services for landlord-tenant disputes before formal litigation.

For commercial property evictions in Mexico, the Código de Comercio and applicable state commercial codes supplement the CCF framework. Commercial tenants may hold rights under sector-specific legislation — for example, tenants of market stalls (locatarios de mercados públicos) in many municipalities hold concession rights administered by the Secretaría de Desarrollo Económico or municipal authority, requiring different eviction procedures than standard CCF arrendamiento.

The Aviso de Desahucio is not self-executing under Mexican law — if the tenant does not voluntarily vacate following the notice, the landlord must file a juicio de arrendamiento or juicio de desahucio before the civil court of competent jurisdiction. Self-help eviction (desalojo por propia mano) — including changing locks, removing tenant's belongings, or cutting utilities to force departure — is expressly prohibited and constitutes a criminal act under the applicable state penal code, exposing the landlord to criminal liability for allanamiento de morada or abuse of authority. The notice period established in the Aviso de Desahucio is therefore a mandatory procedural prerequisite to judicial eviction that courts examine carefully when landlords file for lanzamiento (judicial removal).

An Aviso de Desahucio Mexico is required whenever a landlord wishes to terminate a tenancy and recover possession of leased premises in a legally documented manner. The primary situations requiring this notice are established in Articles 2478 through 2490 of the Código Civil Federal.

The notice is required when the tenant has failed to pay rent for two or more consecutive payment periods — the most common eviction ground under Article 2489 CCF. The landlord should serve the Aviso de Desahucio immediately after the second missed payment to begin the eviction timeline, as courts in Mexico examine the notice date when calculating back-rent owed and determining whether the eviction process was initiated promptly.

An eviction notice is needed when a fixed-term lease (contrato por plazo forzoso) expires and the landlord does not intend to renew. Article 2434 CCF requires that the arrendador give at least three months' advance written notice of non-renewal for residential leases — without this notice, the lease may undergo tacit renewal (tácita reconducción) under Article 2478 CCF, converting to an open-ended tenancy and delaying the landlord's ability to recover possession.

The Aviso is required when the tenant breaches material conditions of the lease — using the property for a purpose other than agreed (uso distinto al convenido), subletting without authorization (subarrendamiento sin consentimiento), causing material damage to the property, or conducting prohibited commercial activities in a residential unit. Each of these constitutes a cause for rescission under Article 2489 CCF.

Landlords also require this notice when they need to recover the property for personal use (necesidad propia) or for necessary repairs (reparaciones necesarias) that cannot be carried out while the tenant occupies the property. State civil codes vary in the notice periods required for these grounds — the Código Civil para la Ciudad de México imposes specific procedural requirements for recovering residential units for personal occupancy.

The Aviso de Desahucio is a critical document for legal proceedings — without a properly served written notice, courts may dismiss or delay a juicio de arrendamiento, finding that the landlord failed to give the tenant adequate opportunity to cure the default or to arrange alternative housing. The notice must be served through a reliable method with proof of delivery: notarial requerimiento, correo certificado con acuse de recibo, or judicial notification (notificación judicial) to create the evidentiary record the court will require.

A valid Aviso de Desahucio Mexico under the Código Civil Federal and applicable state procedural codes must include the following elements to constitute a proper legal notice capable of supporting subsequent judicial eviction proceedings.

Identification of the Landlord (Arrendador): Full legal name, RFC (Registro Federal de Contribuyentes), address, and identity document number (INE credential, passport, or FM2/FM3 for foreign landlords) of the arrendador. If the landlord is a person moral (empresa), the company's RFC, registered name, and representative's authority (poder notarial) must be stated.

Identification of the Tenant (Arrendatario): Full name of the tenant and all occupants named in the lease agreement, along with the address of the leased property as their domicilio para oír notificaciones.

Property Description: Complete address of the leased premises — calle, número, colonia, municipio or alcaldía, estado, and código postal — plus the agreed use (habitacional or comercial). Reference to the lease agreement date and notarial folio (if any) identifies the specific contract being terminated.

Ground for Eviction (Causa de Desahucio): A clear and specific statement of the legal and factual basis for the notice — citing the relevant CCF article. For non-payment: identify each rent period unpaid, amounts owed, and payment deadlines missed, referencing CCF Article 2489. For lease expiry: state the original term end date and reference CCF Article 2434. For breach: describe the specific covenant violated and reference the applicable CCF provision.

Notice Period and Vacating Deadline: The specific date by which the tenant must have vacated the premises and returned the keys and possession to the landlord. For open-ended leases, this is 30 days from notice service (CCF Article 2478). For fixed-term lease non-renewal, the deadline is the lease expiry date after the required three months' advance notice under CCF Article 2434. For rescission causes, the notice typically demands cure within a specified period or immediate vacation.

Demand for Payment of Outstanding Rent: If applicable, the total amount of overdue rent (rentas vencidas) expressed in MXN, calculated through the notice date, plus any contractually agreed moratory interest or pena convencional under CCF Article 2117 that has accrued on the unpaid amounts.

Consequences of Non-Compliance: A statement that failure to vacate by the stated deadline will result in the landlord filing a juicio de arrendamiento or juicio de desahucio before the Juzgado Civil competente of the jurisdiction where the property is located, with the tenant bearing litigation costs and attorney fees.

Security Deposit Disposition: A statement regarding the security deposit (depósito en garantía) — whether it will be applied against outstanding rent under CCF Article 2447 or whether any balance will be returned after deduction of documented damages and unpaid amounts upon the tenant delivering possession.

Service Method and Proof: The notice must be delivered through a method creating legally admissible proof of delivery — notarial requerimiento (preferred for litigation purposes), correo certificado con acuse de recibo through SEPOMEX, or in-person delivery before two witnesses who sign an attestation. The delivery date establishes the start of the notice period the court will apply.

Forms-legal.com provides this Aviso de Desahucio Mexico template as a starting point for landlords. Given the procedural complexity of eviction proceedings under the CCF, state civil procedure codes, and the Código de Procedimientos Civiles applicable in each state, landlords facing tenant non-compliance should retain a licensed Licenciado en Derecho specialised in arrendamiento before filing any judicial action before the Juzgado Civil competente.