Massachusetts Eviction Notice Forms

Last Updated: May 31, 2024 by Roberto Valenzuela

A Massachusetts eviction notice form is a legal demand for a tenant to comply with the terms of the rental agreement or else move out of the premises. Massachusetts landlords may deliver an eviction notice because of unpaid rent, lease violations, or illegal activity on the rental property.

Types of Massachusetts Eviction Notice Forms

Notice Form Grounds Curable?
14 Day Notice To Quit Unpaid Rent Yes
Notice To Comply or Vacate Lease Violation Yes
7 Day Notice To Vacate Unlawful Conduct No
30 Day Notice To Vacate End of / No Lease No

Massachusetts 14 Day Notice To Quit

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A Massachusetts 14 Day Notice To Quit evicts a tenant for nonpayment of rent. In Massachusetts, a landlord can file this notice the day after rent is due, with no grace period for the tenant. The tenant must pay all past due rent or else move out within within fourteen (14) calendar days.

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Massachusetts law gives a tenant with a pending application for emergency rental assistance the right to delay eviction until the application is approved or denied.

Massachusetts Notice To Comply or Vacate

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A Massachusetts Notice To Comply or Vacate demands correction of a lease violation that is “curable,” i.e., the tenant may get a chance to fix the situation rather than be evicted. A curable lease violation might include failure to maintain health and safety on the rental property, interfering with the quiet enjoyment of neighbors, or refusal to allow lawful entry by the landlord.

The tenant must take appropriate corrective action, or else move out by the specified date of termination. The amount of time allowed is set by the lease, according to state law. If there’s no written lease, the landlord may decide how much time to allow for compliance.

Massachusetts 7 Day Notice To Vacate

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A Massachusetts 7 Day Notice To Vacate evicts a tenant for an “incurable” lease violation, i.e., one which the tenant is not allowed to restore through corrective action. This might be for something like causing major property damage or substantially disturbing the quiet enjoyment of neighbors. The tenant must move out within within seven (7) calendar days of receiving notice.

Massachusetts 30 Day Notice To Vacate

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A Massachusetts 30 Day Notice To Vacate terminates a rental agreement, including a month-to-month or year-to-year lease as well as an expired lease or a situation with no written lease where the tenant pays rent monthly. The non-terminating party must receive notice at least thirty (30) calendar days before the date of termination.

How To Write an Eviction Notice in Massachusetts

To help ensure the legal compliance of an eviction notice:

  1. Use the tenant’s full name and address
  2. Specify the lease violation as well as any balance due
  3. Specify the date of termination
  4. Print name and sign the notice, including the landlord’s address of record
  5. Note the date and method of notice delivery, along with printed name and signature

It is easy to lose an otherwise justified legal action because of improper notice. Check carefully to ensure enough time after notice is delivered, not when it’s sent.

How To Calculate Expiration Date in Massachusetts

The “clock” for an eviction notice period starts “ticking” the day after the notice gets delivered (served). For example, to give at least 30 days of notice and begin court action as of June 30th, delivery of the eviction notice must be no later than May 31st. 

In most jurisdictions, if the last day of a notice period is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the notice period continues to run until the end of the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday. This is called the “next judicial day;” in other words, the next day a courthouse is open.

Massachusetts counts only judicial days (i.e., no weekends or legal holidays) for notice periods of less than seven (7) days. Longer periods are counted normally.

How To Serve an Eviction Notice in Massachusetts

Massachusetts landlords may deliver a written eviction notice by any method which results in actual notice to the tenant. The burden of proof is on the landlord to prove delivery. These are some common methods for notice delivery in Massachusetts:

  1. Hand delivery to the tenant
  2. Delivery by registered or certified mail, with the tenant’s signature used as proof of delivery
  3. Delivery by constable or sheriff

Mailed notice extends a notice period by three (3) calendar days, to account for variable delivery times.

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