A landowner has the right to initiate early termination of a land lease, but simply wanting to regain control of the land is not sufficient. Under the Law of Ukraine “On Land Lease,” an agreement may be terminated by mutual consent, by a court decision, or unilaterally if such a possibility is expressly provided for by law or the lease agreement itself. Therefore, the first step for a landowner is to carefully review the terms of the signed contract.
The simplest option is to reach an agreement with the tenant. The parties may sign an early termination agreement and subsequently register the termination of the lease right. If the tenant refuses, however, the landowner generally cannot simply notify them that the lease has ended and transfer the land to another party unless unilateral termination is permitted by the agreement or by law.
If the tenant violates their obligations, the landowner may seek termination through the courts. Grounds may include failure to comply with contractual or statutory obligations, improper use of the land, violations of land protection requirements or problems with rent payments. Ukrainian court practice confirms that systematic non-payment of rent — two or more instances — may constitute grounds for terminating a land lease.
Before starting the procedure, the landowner should collect the lease agreement, documents confirming ownership of the land and evidence of any violations by the tenant. If the agreement provides for unilateral termination, the owner must strictly follow the procedure specified in the contract, including notification requirements and deadlines. If no such clause exists and the parties cannot reach an agreement, the matter generally has to be resolved in court. This is why land lease agreements should clearly specify not only the lease term and rent but also the conditions for early termination.