Vermont: Month-to-Month Tenancy Termination Notice Requirements

Requirements one by one

Governing law

Vermont's rule is in the Residential Rental Agreements Act (9 V.S.A. ch. 137). The
landlord's termination notice is set by § 4467, and the tenant's own move-out notice by
§ 4456(d). A month-to-month tenancy is treated as a tenancy with no written rental
agreement, and § 4467(c) is the no-cause branch that governs it. Vermont has no statewide
just-cause law, so at the state level the question is the clock — but the clocks here are
longer and more tiered than in most states.

Landlord's notice period

This is Vermont's stand-out feature: the landlord's no-cause notice is tiered by how
long the tenant has lived there. For a periodic tenancy with no written lease and
monthly rent, the landlord must give "at least 60 days" if the tenant has resided there
"two years or less" and "at least 90 days" if "more than two years" (§ 4467(c)(1)). A
weekly tenancy takes at least 21 days (§ 4467(c)(2)). If there is a written rental
agreement, the no-cause notice instead runs before the end of the stated term — at least
30 days (two years or less) or 60 days (more than two years), and 7 days for a written
week-to-week agreement (§ 4467(e)). A landlord who has signed a contract to sell the
building can use a 30-day notice (§ 4467(d)).

Tenant's notice period

A tenant's clock is shorter and flat — one full rental payment period. "Unless
inconsistent with a written rental agreement or otherwise provided by law, a tenant may
terminate a tenancy by actual notice given to the landlord at least one rental payment
period prior to the termination date specified in the notice" (§ 4456(d)). So a monthly
tenant gives one month and a weekly tenant one week; the tenant is not held to the
landlord's 60/90-day tiers. One special case runs both ways: in a shared-occupancy
arrangement — renting a room in the landlord's own home with shared living spaces — either
party gives 15 days if rent is monthly, 7 days if weekly (§ 4467(h)).

When termination takes effect

The notice must name a specific end date: "in all cases, the termination date shall be
specifically stated in the notice" (§ 4467(f)). For a no-written-agreement tenancy the
period is a count of days "after the date of the actual notice" to that stated date — a
free-floating end date, not one forced onto a rent date. (Under a written agreement,
§ 4467(e) measures the notice "before the end or expiration of the stated term" instead.)
A separate deadline then falls on the landlord: the notice "shall be insufficient to
support a judgment of eviction unless the proceeding is commenced not later than 60 days
from the termination date" (§ 4467(k)). Miss that window and the notice is spent.

Form, contents, and delivery

Vermont requires "actual notice," defined as "receipt of written notice hand-delivered or
mailed to the last known address" (§ 4451(1)) — so the notice must be written, and it must
state the termination date (§ 4467(f)). On delivery, the statute builds in a mailing rule:
"a rebuttable presumption that the notice was received three days after mailing is created
if the sending party proves that the notice was sent by first-class" mail (§ 4451(1)).
Because Vermont's no-cause periods are long and run from the date of actual notice, keep
proof of the mailing date; posting on the door alone is not a listed method.

What the lease can change

A written lease can adjust the tenant's timing — § 4456(d)'s one-period rule applies only
"unless inconsistent with a written rental agreement" — but it cannot strip the tenant's
statutory protections. Section 4454 makes any provision that "attempts to circumvent or
circumvents obligations and remedies established by this chapter" both "unenforceable and
void." So the landlord's minimum no-cause notice periods in § 4467 are floors the lease
cannot cut below.

Just-cause limits

Vermont has no statewide just-cause law: a landlord may end a periodic tenancy for no
cause, as long as the long tiered notice is given. But local law can be stricter — some
Vermont cities, including Burlington and Winooski, add just-cause or longer no-cause notice
requirements, so inside those cities the statewide figures do not fully apply. And a notice
does not by itself remove a tenant: the landlord recovers possession through a court
ejectment action, and only if it is filed within 60 days of the stated termination date
(§ 4467(k)).

What trips people up

The landlord's clock depends on tenancy length. Sixty days is only the floor for
tenants of two years or less; a tenant of more than two years is owed 90 days
(§ 4467(c)(1)). Count the tenancy from move-in.

The tenant's clock is much shorter than the landlord's. A tenant leaving voluntarily
owes only one full rental period — one month if rent is monthly (§ 4456(d)) — not 60 or 90
days.

The clock starts at "actual notice," and mail is presumed received on day three. The
periods run from when the tenant actually gets the notice; first-class mail is presumed
received three days after mailing (§ 4451(1)). Mail early and keep proof.

A stale notice can't support an eviction. If the landlord does not file the ejectment
action within 60 days of the termination date, the notice is insufficient to support a
judgment (§ 4467(k)) and the landlord must start over.

Common questions

I'm month-to-month with no written lease and want to move out. How much notice? One
full rental period — one month if you pay monthly (§ 4456(d)). You are not held to the
landlord's 60- or 90-day period.

My landlord wants me out for no reason. How much notice do they owe me? At least 60
days if you have lived there two years or less, or 90 days if longer (monthly rent);
weekly tenancies get 21 days (§ 4467(c)). The notice must state the end date.

Does Vermont have just-cause eviction? Not statewide — a landlord can end a
month-to-month tenancy for no cause with the required notice. But Burlington and Winooski
have local rules; check your city.

Can my landlord evict me the day the notice period ends? No. The notice ends the
tenancy on paper, but the landlord must file a court ejectment action to remove you — and
must do so within 60 days of the termination date (§ 4467(k)).

Statutes and sources

• 9 V.S.A. § 4467 — termination of tenancy; notice: no-cause notice of at least 60 days
  (two years or less) or 90 days (more than two years) for monthly tenancies and 21 days
  weekly with no written agreement (c); 30 days on sale of the building (d); 30/60/7-day
  notice under a written agreement (e); the termination date must be stated (f); and the
  eviction proceeding must be commenced within 60 days of that date (k).
  https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/section/09/137/04467 (accessed 2026-07-16)
• 9 V.S.A. § 4456 — tenant obligations; subsection (d): a tenant may end a tenancy on
  actual notice given at least one rental payment period before the stated termination
  date, unless a written rental agreement provides otherwise.
  https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/section/09/137/04456 (accessed 2026-07-16)
• 9 V.S.A. § 4451 — definitions: "actual notice" is written notice hand-delivered or
  mailed to the last known address, with a rebuttable presumption of receipt three days
  after first-class mailing.
  https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/section/09/137/04451 (accessed 2026-07-16)
• 9 V.S.A. § 4454 — attempt to circumvent: any rental-agreement provision that circumvents
  the chapter's obligations and remedies is unenforceable and void.
  https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/section/09/137/04454 (accessed 2026-07-16)