Massachusetts Eviction Notice

Massachusetts notice periods

Each period is the one LeaseCraft's record of the statute holds. Read it with the conditions under it: some periods are minimums and some apply unless the lease sets another. "Lease controls" means the record holds no statutory period for that situation, and "No pre-suit notice" means it holds no notice before filing. The source column shows the law and the date LeaseCraft read it on the official site (most recently 2026-09-27).

What the Massachusetts statute says

Unpaid rent: 14 days

• Written lease (c.186 §11): 14 days' written notice to quit; tenant may cure by paying all rent due with interest and costs on or before the day the answer is due.
• Tenancy at will (c.186 §12): 14 days' written notice to quit; tenant who has not received a similar notice in the preceding 12 months may cure within 10 days after receipt.
• Notice to quit for nonpayment must be accompanied by the EOHLC form required by c.186 §31; court cannot accept the summary process filing without proof of delivery of the form.

Ending the tenancy without a chance to cure: No pre-suit notice

• Premises used for prostitution, assignation, lewdness, illegal gaming, illegal keeping/sale of alcoholic beverages, illegal keeping/sale/manufacture of controlled substances, illegal keeping of a weapon (c.269 §10) or possession/use of an explosive or incendiary device.
• At the lessor's election such use annuls and makes void the lease; owner may seek a court order to vacate or use summary process (c.239).

Ending a month-to-month tenancy: 30 days

• Written notice equal to the interval between rent-payment days or thirty days, whichever is longer (tenancy at will).

Delivery, form and other Massachusetts rules

How the notice may be delivered

No statutory service method for notices to quit; c.186 §12 runs the cure period from the tenant's 'receipt' of the notice and c.186 §31 requires 'proof of delivery' of the accompanying form, so landlords must be able to prove actual receipt (commonly constable/sheriff or in-hand delivery).

M.G.L. c.186 §12; c.186 §31 · read 2026-09-27

Required form or contents

Mandatory: (1) a notice to quit for nonpayment must be accompanied by the EOHLC 'Notice to Quit Accompanying Form' (c.186 §31) stating 'THIS NOTICE TO QUIT IS NOT AN EVICTION' plus rental-assistance/court-rule information; court cannot accept the filing without proof of delivery; (2) tenancy-at-will nonpayment notice must include the §12 ten-day cure statement. https://www.mass.gov/info-details/notice-to-quit-attestation-form-and-submission-information

• Form available in English plus the 5 most common languages spoken in the commonwealth.

M.G.L. c.186 §31; c.186 §12 · read 2026-09-27

Statewide just-cause rule

No statewide just-cause requirement

• No statewide just-cause statute located in c.186 or c.239; tenancy at will may be terminated without cause on the §12 notice.

M.G.L. c.186 §12 · read 2026-09-27

Preparing the notice

The form asks for the tenancy, the kind of notice and the dates, and the notice ends with a Certificate of Service to record how you delivered it. Beside the finished notice you get a Massachusetts checklist of the period, form and delivery rules LeaseCraft recorded. The period in the notice is the one you choose; where LeaseCraft has verified the Massachusetts period and your deadline is too soon, the document is not prepared until you move it.

Create a Massachusetts eviction notice

A notice is not a court order and does not by itself remove a tenant. Cities and counties can add rules. LeaseCraft is not a law firm and this is not legal advice.

Eviction Notice rules in nearby states

Eviction Notice rules for every state