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Massachusetts · Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186, § 12

Massachusetts 30-Day Notice of Termination of Tenancy

Fill in the facts once. RentDemand computes the 30-day period from your service date, warns you about the Massachusetts traps below, and hands you a print-ready document with a proof of service.

30 day period0 days added for mailMass. Gen. Laws ch. 186, § 12
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Who and where

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Money owed

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The violation

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Grounds

An unconditional notice offers no chance to fix the problem, and is only available for conduct that cannot be cured — nuisance, waste, illegal activity, or a repeat of a breach already cured. If the tenant could fix it, use Cure or Quit instead.
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Ending the tenancy

This is a no-cause termination. Many cities require just cause, and some require relocation assistance. Verify locally before serving.
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The increase

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The visit

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The deposit

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Where to send your notice

We email the finished notice here as soon as it is paid for, so you still have it if you close this page. Paying by card collects it automatically — this is only needed if you pay another way.

Massachusetts 30-Day Notice of Termination of Tenancy: what the statute actually requires

For a tenancy of a year or more, Massachusetts requires notice equal to a full rental period, not merely 30 days. For a shorter tenancy, 30 days.

30
days, statutory default
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days added if served by mail
—
no statutory hour period

Authority: Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186, § 12 — read the Massachusetts code

Where Massachusetts landlords get this wrong

Local rules that sit on top of Massachusetts law

A notice that is perfect under the state statute still fails if it ignores the city. These are the jurisdictions with material local overlays for this kind of notice.

Boston and Cambridge
Just cause applies to many units, and local boards add registration and inspection requirements.

A Massachusetts 30-day notice of termination of tenancy, as generated

This is the real document, filled with sample details. Change the state and the facts above and it becomes yours.

THIRTY-DAY NOTICE OF TERMINATION OF TENANCY
Massachusetts · Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186, § 12
Notice period ends: October 24, 2026
TO
Devon A. Ruiz and Jordan Ruiz
and all others in possession of
4421 Cedar Ave, 4B
Sample City, MA, 00000

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that your tenancy of the premises described above is hereby terminated without cause, effective November 1, 2026.

This notice is served THIRTY (30) days in advance of the end of the rental period, as required by Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186, § 12, and expires on October 24, 2026. You are required to vacate and surrender possession of the premises on or before that date.

Notice period applied: Tenancy under 1 year.

This is a no-cause termination of the tenancy. It does not waive the undersigned's right to recover any rent, fees, or damages already accrued, nor any claim for damage to the premises.

Your security deposit will be accounted for in accordance with applicable law after you vacate and provide a forwarding address.

This notice is given pursuant to Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186, § 12.

Marisol Vega
1180 Fulton St, Massachusetts 00000
(555) 555-0148 · you@example.com
Landlord / Owner / Authorized Agent
Dated: September 24, 2026
PROOF OF SERVICE

I declare that on September 24, 2026, I served the foregoing notice on the tenant(s) named above by the method indicated below:

☐  Personal delivery to the tenant.
☐  Substituted service — delivered to a person of suitable age and discretion at the premises, and a copy sent by first-class mail addressed to the tenant at the premises.
☐  Posting a copy in a conspicuous place on the premises, and sending a copy by first-class mail addressed to the tenant at the premises.
☐  Service by mail.

The notice period begins the day after service and expires on October 24, 2026.

Signature of person serving notice
Date
Drafting note — read before serving

For a tenancy of a year or more, Massachusetts requires notice equal to a full rental period, not merely 30 days. For a shorter tenancy, 30 days.

Generated by RentDemand · Massachusetts · Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186, § 12 · September 24, 2026
RentDemand is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. This document is a self-help template. Verify the current statute and any local ordinance, and consult a licensed attorney in Massachusetts before serving.

Common questions

How long is the notice period for a 30-day notice of termination of tenancy in Massachusetts?
30 days, under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186, § 12. For a tenancy of a year or more, Massachusetts requires notice equal to a full rental period, not merely 30 days. For a shorter tenancy, 30 days.
Does service by mail change the Massachusetts notice period?
Massachusetts does not add days for service by mail, but the notice must still be served by a method the statute allows.
Can the rental agreement change the Massachusetts notice period?
A lease can lengthen a cure period, and where it does, the longer period controls. Enter your lease's period in the generator and the deadline is recomputed for you. A lease cannot shorten a period the statute sets.
Is this Massachusetts 30-day notice of termination of tenancy legally binding?
RentDemand generates a self-help document from the statute cited on its face. It is not legal advice and it is not a substitute for a lawyer in Massachusetts, particularly if the tenancy is contested or the unit is covered by a local ordinance.

Other Massachusetts notices

Pay Rent or QuitCure or QuitUnconditional QuitRent IncreaseNotice of EntryDeposit Itemization

Everything for Massachusetts →

A 30-day notice of termination of tenancy in every other state

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Questions landlords ask at 11pm

Is this legal advice?
No. RentDemand is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. It assembles a self-help document from the statute shown on the notice and computes your deadline. For anything contested, hire a lawyer in your state — the notice you generate here is the document you hand them.
How is this different from a free template?
A free template gives you the same paragraph in every state with blank day counts. RentDemand knows that a Florida pay-or-quit skips weekends and holidays, that Virginia gives 21 days to cure but only 5 to pay, that North Carolina terminates a month-to-month tenancy in 7 days, and that Georgia has no cure period at all. It also computes the actual date the period ends.
What if my lease sets a different period?
Change the number. The notice period field is pre-filled with the statutory default and is yours to edit — a lease can lengthen a cure period, and the longer period then controls.
Do I get a PDF?
You get a print-ready document with correct 8.5×11 pagination. Click Unlock and your browser's print dialog opens; choose Save as PDF. That gives you a cleaner file than most generators produce, because the browser does the typesetting.
What if I serve it wrong?
Service is where these notices fail. Every document includes a proof-of-service block with the recognised methods for your state, and the day-of-service exclusion is already built into the deadline. If you serve by mail, tick the box and the mailing extension is added automatically.