Massachusetts notice periods
A Massachusetts landlord must give 30 days’ written notice to end a month-to-month tenancy, and the tenant must give the same. A rent increase needs 30 days’ notice. For nonpayment, the landlord must serve a 14-day notice to pay or quit before filing for eviction.
The Massachusetts rules in detail
Tenancy at will: written notice equal to the interval between rent payments or 30 days, whichever is longer (3 months' notice if rent is payable at intervals of 3 months or more). Applies to both landlord and tenant.
No rent-increase-specific statute. For a tenancy at will the landlord must terminate with § 12 notice (rent interval or 30 days, whichever is longer) and may include an offer of a new tenancy on different terms in that notice (§ 12). Fixed-term lease rent cannot be raised mid-term.
14 days. The tenant may cure by paying everything owed within the period; after that the landlord may file for eviction.
Serving the notice
- Notice must be in writing. Text messages and emails count only where the lease or statute allows electronic notice.
- The clock starts when the notice is delivered, not when it is written. Mailed notices usually add days; check the statute’s service rules.
- Termination notices generally take effect at the end of a rental period. Served mid-month, a 30-day notice ends the tenancy at the end of the next full month.
- A fixed-term lease ends on its own date; these periods apply to month-to-month tenancies and to tenancies that continued after a lease expired.
Related Massachusetts rules
- Late fees: No statutory cap on the amount, but no interest or penalty for late rent may be imposed until rent is 30 days overdue (M.G.L. c. 186 § 15B(1)(c)). Late fee calculator.
- Security deposit: 1 month's rent (security deposit); landlord may also collect first month, last month, and lock/key cost but nothing else up front; returned 30 days after termination of occupancy (tenancy at will) or end of the tenancy specified in a written lease; itemized sworn statement of damages required if deductions taken. Deposit rules.
- All rules on one page: Massachusetts landlord and tenant law.
Frequently asked questions
How much notice does a landlord have to give a tenant to move out in Massachusetts?
30 days’ written notice for a month-to-month tenancy. Tenancy at will: written notice equal to the interval between rent payments or 30 days, whichever is longer (3 months' notice if rent is payable at intervals of 3 months or more). Applies to both landlord and tenant.
How much notice does a tenant have to give in Massachusetts?
30 days’ written notice on a month-to-month tenancy. A fixed-term lease ends on its own date unless it says otherwise.
How much notice is required for a rent increase in Massachusetts?
30 days. No rent-increase-specific statute. For a tenancy at will the landlord must terminate with § 12 notice (rent interval or 30 days, whichever is longer) and may include an offer of a new tenancy on different terms in that notice (§ 12). Fixed-term lease rent cannot be raised mid-term.
How long is a pay-or-quit notice in Massachusetts?
14 days. The tenant can stop the eviction by paying the full amount within that time.
Does the notice have to end on the last day of the month?
In most states, yes: a termination notice on a periodic tenancy takes effect at the end of a rental period that is at least the required number of days after service. Serving on the 15th with a 30-day requirement typically ends the tenancy at the end of the following month, not 30 days later. The calculator shows both dates.