What are the steps to evict a tenant for unpaid rent in Massachusetts?

In Massachusetts, an eviction for unpaid rent runs through 7 steps, each set by the statute or court rule beside it: (1) Serve a 14-day notice to quit for nonpayment — M.G.L. c. 186, §§ 11, 12; (2) The cure period — M.G.L. c. 186, § 11; (3) Prepare and serve the summary process summons and complaint — Uniform Summary Process Rule 2; (4) Enter the case at the court by the entry date — Uniform Summary Process Rule 2; (5) Answer due the Monday before the entry date — Uniform Summary Process Rule 3; (6) Trial — M.G.L. c. 239, § 8A; (7) Execution issues after ten days — M.G.L. c. 239, § 3. Massachusetts summary process is unusually technical: the notice to quit, the summons and complaint and the entry date each have their own timing, and a defect in any of them is fatal. A tenant who cures within the statutory period stops the case. The procedure as a whole is set by M.G.L. c. 186, §§ 11, 11A, 12, 15F; c. 239, §§ 1, 8A; Uniform Summary Process Rules.

WhatMassachusetts
CourtHousing Court (preferred), District Court or Boston Municipal Court.
Steps with a citation7

Notes

Massachusetts summary process is unusually technical: the notice to quit, the summons and complaint and the entry date each have their own timing, and a defect in any of them is fatal. A tenant who cures within the statutory period stops the case.

Source

M.G.L. c. 186, §§ 11, 11A, 12, 15F; c. 239, §§ 1, 8A; Uniform Summary Process Rules

Read the statute in the General Laws of Massachusetts (Massachusetts Legislature): malegislature.gov.

Checked against the statute on September 7, 2026.

This is a summary of the published procedure, not legal advice. Courts, local rules and the facts of a tenancy change what applies, and a defect in a notice or a filing can end a case. Have a lawyer review anything before it is served or filed.

How Seayora uses this rule

Seayora does not file, serve or appear in an eviction, and is not anybody’s lawyer. When a tenant has stopped paying, it lays out these steps for the property’s own state and city with the statute beside each one, holds back any step that would come too early, keeps an append-only record of the case — and shows the resident what would end it, legal-aid links included.

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