Massachusetts Eviction Notice

Massachusetts Eviction Notice Requirements

In Massachusetts, a landlord must serve a written notice before filing for eviction under M.G.L. c.186 §§ 11, 12 (notice to quit); summary process under M.G.L. c.239. The required notice period depends on the reason:

• Nonpayment of rent: 14-day notice to pay or quit. 14-day notice to quit for nonpayment — same period for both written-lease tenants (M.G.L. c.186 §11) and tenants at will (§12). Statutory cure right: a tenant at will who has NOT received a similar nonpayment notice in the prior 12 months can stop the eviction by paying all rent due within 10 days of receiving the notice, and the §12 notice must contain the verbatim statutory language informing the tenant of this 10-day right. A written-lease tenant (§11) can cure by paying all rent, interest, and costs on or before the day the answer is due in the summary-process action. Calendar days.
• Curable lease violation: not separately specified. Massachusetts has NO general statutory cure-or-quit notice period for lease violations other than nonpayment. For a for-cause/lease-violation eviction the landlord terminates per the lease's own terms (leases commonly specify a 7-day notice to quit), or terminates a tenancy at will by the 30-day no-cause notice. There is no statewide statutory right to cure a non-rent lease breach, so no fixed day count is set by statute (set to -1).
• No-cause termination (month-to-month): 30-day notice. For a tenancy at will (the MA equivalent of month-to-month), M.G.L. c.186 §12 requires written notice equal to the interval between rent-payment days OR 30 days, whichever is longer. For a standard month-to-month (rent paid monthly) this is 30 days, and the notice must expire at the end of a rental period. Estates at will may alternatively be ended by either party on three months' notice. Fixed-term leases simply expire at the end of the term (no termination notice unless the lease requires one).

Service: A notice to quit may be served by a constable or sheriff (often by leaving it at the tenant's last and usual address) or sent by the landlord, including by first-class/certified mail; many landlords use in-hand or constable service to ensure proof. After the notice period, the landlord must serve the Summary Process Summons and Complaint per Uniform Summary Process Rule 2 / Mass. R. Civ. P. 4 (constable or sheriff; if not made in hand, a first-class mailing copy is also required), then file in District/Housing Court. A residential nonpayment notice to quit must be accompanied by the state's Notice to Quit Attestation Form.

• Nonpayment: 14-day notice to quit for both lease tenants (c.186 §11) and tenants at will (§12) — confirmed verbatim in the statute ('fourteen days notice to quit').
• Tenant-at-will nonpayment cure: pay all rent due within 10 days of the notice IF no similar notice in the prior 12 months; the §12 notice must recite this right verbatim. Lease tenants can cure by paying rent, interest, and costs by the date the answer is due.
• No-cause end of a month-to-month tenancy at will: written notice equal to the rent interval or 30 days, whichever is longer (30 days for monthly rent), expiring at the end of a rental period; three months' notice is the alternative statutory baseline.
• No statewide statutory cure period for non-rent lease violations — for-cause terminations follow the lease's own notice terms; no statewide just-cause requirement (some cities have local ordinances).
• Massachusetts requires a court summary-process action (c.239); self-help/lockouts are illegal. A residential nonpayment notice to quit must include the state Notice to Quit Attestation/Accompanying Form.

Massachusetts Eviction Notices by Type

Disclaimer

This Massachusetts eviction notice generator is a self-help tool for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Confirm Massachusetts and local requirements before serving, and consult a landlord-tenant attorney for contested cases.