What term is used when a tenant voluntarily moves out of an apartment and never returns?

The term that accurately describes a tenant voluntarily moving out of an apartment and never returning is abandonment or vacating. This situation typically involves the tenant deciding to leave the premises without the intention of coming back, which may be due to personal reasons, dissatisfaction with the rental property, or other circumstances.

When a tenant abandons a property, they often leave belongings behind and do not communicate their intentions to the landlord or property owner. This act relinquishes their rights to the rental unit, leading to potential implications for their lease agreement. Landlords may then take steps to reclaim the property, often guided by local laws regarding abandonment.

Other terms related to tenant situations, such as eviction, refer to a process initiated by a landlord to legally remove a tenant from a rental property due to violations of the lease agreement. Termination pertains to ending a lease agreement, but it does not specifically denote the nature of the tenant’s departure. Expatriation refers to the act of leaving one's country and is not applicable in the context of tenant-landlord relationships. Thus, abandonment or vacating is the precise terminology for this scenario.