The landlord can give the written notice to the tenant any of these ways:
Hand-deliver it to them.
Send it by first class mail to the tenant's last known address.
Send it by certified mail.
9 V.S.A. § 4451(1).
The notice must:
be in writing,
include the reason (grounds) for the eviction, and
include the date the tenant must move out – the termination date.
9 V.S.A. § 4467.
Length of Notice
The length of notice required before the end date depends on the reason (grounds) for ending the tenancy.
Vermont’s landlord-tenant statute (9 V.S.A. § 4467) lists the statewide notice requirements for different situations.
There is a Summary of Notice Periods for Termination of Tenancy on the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity website.
Some cities and towns may require more notice. Check local laws.
Rentals which are part of state or federal subsidy programs such as Section 8 have additional requirements.
Grounds for eviction and notice periods can be complicated. Consider talking to an attorney. See the Finding Legal Help web page for information about the ways to get the help of an attorney.
Starting a court case
If the tenant doesn’t do what the notice tells them to do by the deadline, the landlord can start an eviction case with the court.
The person filing the court case is the plaintiff (the landlord).
The person the case is filed against is the defendant (the tenant).
There is a window in which the case can be filed. The landlord must:
wait until the termination date in the eviction notice has passed before filing a case.
file the case within 60 days after the termination date listed on the eviction notice. If you miss the window, you will have to start the process again with a new eviction notice.