Ending a month-to-month tenancy in Massachusetts

The rule in Massachusetts

To end a month-to-month tenancy in Massachusetts, the notice period is one month, set by M.G.L. c. 186, § 12. The words: “if it is equal to the interval between the days of payment or thirty days, whichever is longer.” The same period binds the tenant: the statute gives landlord and tenant one rule.

Of the 29 states verified on this site, 3 require less notice and 4 require more, counting a month as 30 days for comparison; the median is 30 days. 21 others land on the same length, among them Arizona, Florida, Idaho and Illinois.

Worked date: a notice delivered on November 10, 2026 runs its one month on December 10, 2026 (one rental month or 30 days, whichever ends later), so the notice can name December 10, 2026 or a later date as the end of the tenancy, 30 days after delivery.

Given on the rent day itself, December 1, 2026, the same notice reaches its end on January 1, 2027, 31 days later. A period stated as a month follows the calendar, so its length in days depends on the month in which it runs.

Across the border, among neighbours with a verified rule: New Hampshire requires 30 days, New York requires 30 days at first, Rhode Island requires 30 days and Vermont requires 60 days at first.

The general rule in § 12 is three months' written notice to end an estate at will; where rent is payable at intervals of less than three months, notice equal to the interval or thirty days, whichever is longer, is enough. For rent paid monthly that is one rental month, and never less than thirty days.

After the notice: the landlord then has 30 days to return the security deposit (deposit rules), so a tenancy ending on December 10, 2026 puts the deposit deadline at January 9, 2027; rent that falls due before the end date is still owed, and Massachusetts's late-fee rule is no amount set in the section read (late fees).

Source: Massachusetts Legislature, M.G.L. c. 186 § 12 · last checked October 21, 2026.

Giving or receiving notice

The statute sets the shortest period; a lease can add conditions such as a written form or a delivery method, and some cities add their own rules. The guide on ending a month-to-month tenancy compares how the verified states count the period.