The Massachusetts notice to comply or quit is a document given to tenants when they violate the terms of their lease or rental contract. The notice shall indicate the breaches committed by the tenant and the period in which they must either correct said breaches or vacate the dwelling. Massachusetts law does not provide information regarding the required notice period for fixed-term leases (i.e., tenancies with a predetermined end date). Therefore, if the tenancy is fixed-term, the notice period should correspond with the one outlined in the lease. The notice period for month-to-month tenancies must be thirty (30) days or the amount of time between payments, whichever is longer. However, if rent payments are made at periods of three months (3) or higher, the notice period must also be three (3) months.
There are specific illegal actions which, if committed by the tenant on the premises of the rental unit, will waive their right to receive notice of an impending eviction. Some illegal actions include gambling, selling or manufacturing drugs, and unlawful use of a firearm (see Ch. 139 § 19 for a full list of qualifying illegal actions).
Laws – Ch. 186 § 12
