How to evict a tenant in Vermont: steps and timeline
In Vermont you end a tenancy with an "actual notice" that states the termination date: at least 14 days out for unpaid rent, at least 30 days for a breach of a material lease term, and at least 14 days when the cause is criminal activity, illegal drug activity or violence that threatens other residents. You must start the ejectment case within 60 days of the termination date. After judgment the sheriff may not put you in possession earlier than 14 days after the writ is served.
What notice does Vermont require?
Under 9 V.S.A. 4467(a), you may end a tenancy for nonpayment of rent by giving actual notice of the date the tenancy will terminate, which must be at least 14 days after the date of the notice. The agreement does not end if the tenant pays or tenders the rent due through the end of the rental period in which payment is made or tendered. Accepting a partial payment is not a waiver of your remedies for nonpayment and is not an accord and satisfaction.
For failure to comply with a material term of the lease or with the tenant's statutory obligations, 4467(b)(1) requires actual notice at least 30 days before the termination date in the notice. When the cause is criminal activity, illegal drug activity or acts of violence that threaten the health or safety of other residents, 4467(b)(2) shortens it to at least 14 days. With no written rental agreement, a no-cause termination of a monthly tenancy takes at least 60 days for a tenant who has lived there two years or less and at least 90 days after more than two years, and a weekly tenancy takes 21 days (4467(c)). The statute sets other periods for a written lease that is ending, a sale of the building, and shared occupancy, and in every case the termination date must be stated in the notice (4467(f)).
"Actual notice" means receipt of a written notice that is hand-delivered or mailed to the tenant's last known address. If you prove you sent it by first-class or certified mail, there is a rebuttable presumption that the tenant received it three days after mailing (9 V.S.A. 4451(1)). Hand delivery avoids the question.
How does the court case work?
A notice supports a judgment of eviction only if you start the case within 60 days from the termination date in the notice (4467(k)). The complaint says the tenant holds the premises unlawfully, and you attach the rental agreement, if any, and the notice to terminate (12 V.S.A. 4852). Either side has a right to a jury trial. You may use several valid notices, even on different grounds, and rely on all of them in one ejectment action (4467(i)).
Vermont has a rent escrow tool. Under 12 V.S.A. 4853a, in a case for possession you may move for an order that the tenant pay rent into court, with an affidavit of the facts. The hearing on the motion comes after 14 days' notice to the parties. If the court finds the tenant owes rent and has not paid it, it orders payment into court as rent accrues while the case is pending, going back to the date you filed or served, whichever came first. If the tenant fails to pay as ordered, you are entitled to judgment for immediate possession, and the writ is served with possession not earlier than seven days after service.
How long until the tenant is out?
If the court finds you are entitled to possession, you have judgment for possession, rent due, damages and costs, and the court may award reasonable attorney's fees when a written rental agreement provides for them. Under 12 V.S.A. 4854, the writ of possession issues on the date judgment is entered unless the court for good cause orders a stay. The writ directs a sheriff to serve it and, not earlier than 14 days after service, put you in possession.
Which mistakes cost a Vermont landlord time?
- Leaving the termination date out of the notice. The statute requires it to be specifically stated.
- Using a 14-day notice for a lease breach that is not criminal, drug-related or violent. A general breach takes 30 days.
- Waiting more than 60 days after the termination date to file. A late case cannot rest on that notice.
- Refusing rent after the notice because the tenant paid only part. For nonpayment, partial payment is not a waiver, but paying all rent due through the end of the period stops the termination.
Example a made-up landlord hand-delivers a nonpayment notice on Monday, November 9, 2026, with a termination date of Monday, November 23. If the tenant pays rent due through the end of the rental period before then, the agreement does not end. If not, the landlord must start the case within 60 days of November 23, by Friday, January 22, 2027. After a judgment, the sheriff may put the landlord in possession no earlier than 14 days after the writ is served.
What can a Vermont landlord never do?
Section 4463 on illegal evictions says no landlord may willfully cause, directly or indirectly, the interruption or termination of any utility service to the tenant, except temporary interruptions for emergency repairs. A landlord may not directly or indirectly deny the tenant access to and possession of the rented premises, or the tenant's property, except through proper judicial process.
How DoorKeeping handles it
DoorKeeping keeps each property's lease, rent ledger and the notices you send in one place, which is the paper trail a court asks for. You still serve the notice and file the case yourself. DoorKeeping gives general information, not legal advice. If a case is contested, or the tenant files an answer, talk to a local attorney.
Sources
- 9 V.S.A. 4467 (Termination of tenancy; notice), read Oct 30, 2026
- 9 V.S.A. 4451 and 4463 (Definitions; illegal evictions), read Oct 30, 2026
- 12 V.S.A. 4852 (Mode of process; declaration), read Oct 30, 2026
- 12 V.S.A. 4853a (Payment of rent into court; expedited hearing), read Oct 30, 2026
- 12 V.S.A. 4854 (Judgment for plaintiff; writ of possession), read Oct 30, 2026
Questions
- How much notice do I give a Vermont tenant who has not paid rent?
- Actual notice that states a termination date at least 14 days after the notice (9 V.S.A. 4467(a)). The tenancy does not end if the tenant pays the rent due through the end of the rental period.
- How long do I have to file after the Vermont notice period ends?
- You must start the case within 60 days from the termination date in the notice, or the notice cannot support a judgment (4467(k)).
- How long after the writ is served can the Vermont sheriff remove the tenant?
- Not earlier than 14 days after service of the writ (12 V.S.A. 4854), or not earlier than seven days when the writ follows a rent escrow default (4853a(h)).