A for cause termination notice is a notice from your landlord asking you to move out because you did something wrong. This page has information about the rules your landlord must follow if they give you a for cause termination notice.
In addition to the rules on this page, your landlord must follow other rules when they give you a termination notice. To check if your landlord followed all the rules, you can use our termination notice checklist. If your landlord doesn't follow all the rules, you may have a defense in an eviction case.
How do I know if I got a for cause notice?If the termination notice is asking you to move because you did something wrong, this is a for cause notice.
A for cause notice might be called any of these things:
There are many kinds of for cause notices. There are no rules that say your landlord must use a particular form or a particular name. But there are rules about what must be in a for cause notice.
What are the rules for a 10-day notice for nonpayment of rent?Your landlord can give you this notice when your rent is eight or more days late.
The notice must:
If you don't pay all the rent you owe within 10 days, your landlord can start an eviction case. If you want to stop the eviction, you can still pay rent after the case is started, but you may have to pay your landlord's court fees.
What are the rules for a 13-day notice for nonpayment of rent?Your landlord can give you this notice when your rent is five or more days late.
The notice must:
If you don't pay all the rent you owe within 13 days, your landlord can start an eviction case. If you want to stop the eviction, you can still pay rent after the case is started, but you may have to pay your landlord's court fees.
What are the rules for a 72-hour notice for nonpayment of rent?Your landlord can give you this notice if you rent by the week, and your rent is five or more days late.
The notice must:
If you don't pay all the rent you owe within 72 hours, your landlord can start an eviction case. If you want to stop the eviction, you can still pay rent after the case is started, but you may have to pay your landlord's court fees.
What are the rules for a 30-day termination notice for violating your rental agreement?A landlord can give you a 30-day notice for not following your rental agreement, including not paying rent, late charges, utility or service charges, or other fees in a rental agreement.
A 30-day notice must:
If you cause the same problem within six months of getting a 30-day notice for violating your rental agreement:
Your landlord can give you a 24-hour notice if you, your pet, or someone in your control:
What does "someone in your control" mean? This is any person you allow to visit or stay at the rental property if you know, or should know, they are likely to do one of these things.
If my pet caused the problem, can I get rid of it and stay? Yes. If your pet or assistance animal caused the problem and you get rid of the animal within 24 hours, you can stay.
If a person caused the problem, can I fix it? No. If someone in your control caused the problem, you do not have the right to fix the problem.
Are you afraid of someone at the rental property? If someone at the rental property scares you, causes serious problems, and will not stay away, contact your local domestic violence program. They may be able to help you get a restraining order.
What are the rules for a 10-day pet violation notice?Your landlord can give you this notice if your rental agreement says pets are not allowed. If you remove your pet within 10 days, you can stay.
If you get another pet within six months of the first pet notice, your landlord can give you another 10-day pet violation notice. This time you will have to move out within 10 days. You don't get another chance to fix the problem.
Disability assistance animals are not pets. The pet violation rules do not apply to assistance animals that help someone with a disability. If your animal is an assistance animal:
If you do not do this, your landlord can evict you.
What are the rules for a 48-hour notice for drug or alcohol violation?If you live in a rental unit that prohibits drug and alcohol use, your landlord can give you a 48-hour termination notice, only if:
The notice must say:
If you have lived there for more than two years, your landlord can't give you a 48-hour notice, but they can give you a 30-day for cause notice.
For a building to qualify as drug- and alcohol-free housing, the following rules apply:
Your landlord can give you this notice if you have another drug or alcohol violation within six months of your first violation notice. This time you will not get a chance to fix the problem. If you don’t move out within 24 hours, your landlord can evict you.
What are the rules for a three strikes notice?If your landlord gives you three warning notices within one year, and you have a lease (not a month-to-month agreement), your landlord can refuse to renew your lease.
This is sometimes called a "three strikes notice." but it could have a different name too.
A three strikes notice must:
If your landlord doesn't follow these rules, you may have a legal defense and can fight the eviction. If you want to fight the eviction, get legal help as soon as possible. Eviction cases move quickly and you don't have much time.
You can find free- and low-cost legal help by searching our Referral Database.
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