# Massachusetts — Eviction notice periods for nonpayment of rent by US state — how long a landlord must wait, quoted from the state statute

For Massachusetts, notice period is fourteen days' notice to quit; notice period in days is 14; statute is Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186, § 12, recorded from its source on 2026-09-02.

- **State:** Massachusetts _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Notice period:** fourteen days' notice to quit _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Notice period in days:** 14 _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Right to cure by paying:** Yes, but only once a year. A tenant at will who has not had a similar notice in the preceding twelve months keeps the tenancy by paying or tendering the full amount of rent due within ten days after receiving the notice. _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Statute:** Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186, § 12 _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_

## What the source says

> In case of neglect or refusal to pay the rent due from a tenant at will, fourteen days' notice to quit, given in writing by the landlord to the tenant, shall be sufficient to determine the tenancy; provided, that the tenancy of a tenant who has not received a similar notice from the landlord within the twelve months next preceding the receipt of such notice shall not be determined if the tenant, within ten days after the receipt thereof, pays or tenders to the landlord, the landlord's attorney, or the person to whom the tenant customarily pays rent, the full amount of any rent due.

## Source

- https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartII/TitleI/Chapter186/Section12

Last verified: 2026-09-02. Review by: 2027-09-02.
Part of [Eviction notice periods for nonpayment of rent by US state — how long a landlord must wait, quoted from the state statute](https://referencesource.org/eviction-notice-periods-for-nonpayment-by-state/).