Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Massachusetts

I have a tenant that I choose not to renew his lease. His lease was up 3/31/2010, but gave him an extra 30 days, till 6/30/2010 to vacate as his wife works 90-100 hours a week. This past week, he got a puppy even though the lease clearly states he is not permitted to have a pet. I could almost endure the last 30 days and do nothing, however the dog has crapped on my front door mat and I had to throw it out, bleach and clean the area and repaint. I choose not to renew his lease as this past year has been tense; with his constant confronting of any service workers around the the property, not his unit mind you, but the property in general. I live upstairs and am distressed as to what he is doing to the unit. He has refused to allow showings for other potential tenants.

Am I able to do a 3 days notice to quit? Thank you for your time. J Spencer, Cambridge, MA


Asked on 5/31/10, 6:27 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Christopher Vaughn-Martel Charles River Law Partners, LLC

Assuming that there is no term lease currently in place, you are operating under a month-to-month tenancy-at-will. You must serve your tenant with a thirty day notice quite in order to legally terminate the tenancy. Mistakes can be costly in this area of the law, and I would encourage you to contact my office as soon as possible if you are interested in retaining a lawyer or simply to schedule a consultation.

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Answered on 6/01/10, 5:24 am


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