Massachusetts Notice to Vacate
Massachusetts notice to vacate periods from the statute: 30 days to end a month-to-month tenancy. Cited and dated; prepare the notice online.
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The notice periods Massachusetts law sets for ending a periodic tenancy, as LeaseCraft read them in the statute, with the conditions and exceptions that go with each. The guided form prepares the notice to vacate with Massachusetts already selected.
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).
| Situation | Notice period | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ending a month-to-month tenancy | 30 days |
M.G.L. c.186 §12; c.186 §13
Read 2026-09-27
|
| Ending a week-to-week tenancy | 30 days |
M.G.L. c.186 §12; c.186 §13
Read 2026-09-27
|
| Tenant staying after the lease ends | Lease controls |
M.G.L. c.186 §13
Read 2026-09-27
|
What the Massachusetts statute says
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).
Ending a week-to-week tenancy: 30 days
- Same rule: interval between rent days or 30 days, whichever is longer — so a week-to-week tenancy at will still requires 30 days.
Exceptions
- Rooming house with rent payable weekly or daily: possession action may be brought 7 days after written notice (c.186 §13 proviso).
Delivery, form and other Massachusetts rules
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
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
Preparing the notice
The form asks for the tenancy, the date the tenant must leave and how the notice is delivered, and states the notice period plainly. You enter the period; where LeaseCraft has verified the Massachusetts period for ending a month-to-month tenancy, it refuses a shorter one.
Create a Massachusetts notice to vacate
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.
Notice to Vacate rules in nearby states
Frequently asked questions
-
30 days, under M.G.L. c.186 §12; c.186 §13. Written notice equal to the interval between rent-payment days or thirty days, whichever is longer (tenancy at will). LeaseCraft read this at the official source on 2026-09-27.
-
30 days, under M.G.L. c.186 §12; c.186 §13. Same rule: interval between rent days or 30 days, whichever is longer — so a week-to-week tenancy at will still requires 30 days. LeaseCraft read this at the official source on 2026-09-27.
-
No statewide just-cause requirement, under M.G.L. c.186 §12. No statewide just-cause statute located in c.186 or c.239; tenancy at will may be terminated without cause on the §12 notice. LeaseCraft read this at the official source on 2026-09-27.
-
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). Source: M.G.L. c.186 §12; c.186 §31. LeaseCraft read this at the official source on 2026-09-27.
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