Landlord notice deadlines — Massachusetts
In Massachusetts, the checked deadlines on this page cover: pay or quit, ending a tenancy, raising the rent. Each figure carries its statute and the stamp Rules checked October 2026. Run your exact dates through the checker — the period is only half the answer; the counting rule is the other half.
| Pay or quit | 14 calendar days — the tenant may pay and cure (Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186, § 11). 14-day written notice to quit for nonpayment. The tenant cures by paying all rent due with interest and costs on or before the day the answer is due in the summary process action. Federally assisted housing tenants may be entitled to 30 days instead of 14. |
|---|---|
| End a tenancy | 30 days — tenancy at will / month-to-month (Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186, § 12). Written notice of 30 days or one full rental period, whichever is longer. |
| Raise the rent | 30 days (Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186, § 12). No cap (rent control is barred statewide). Notice of at least one rental period / 30 days. Massachusetts gives tenants one of the nation's strongest retaliation presumptions — six months. |
| How days are counted | Notice periods run as calendar days; weekends and holidays count. |
| Allowed service methods | in-person delivery certified or regular mail conspicuous posting at the premises leaving with another person at the premises — Massachusetts prescribes no single statutory method for the notice to quit; the summary process summons itself must be served by a constable or sheriff |
| Just cause | No statewide just-cause requirement. |
| Sources checked | https://www.docdraft.ai/legal-document/eviction-notice/massachusetts https://www.fallriverpm.com/massachusetts-eviction-process |
Local rules sit on top of state law in many places — city just-cause lists, rent boards, and prescribed local forms. A state deadline is the floor of the analysis, never a promise that no local rule adds to it.
The paper that goes with the date
The checker gives you the date. The kit gives you the notices: pay or quit, non-renewal / termination, and rent increase letters generated from these same checked deadlines, a letter builder that fills in your dates and names, the move-in and move-out inspection checklists, and the proof-of-service checklist.
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