Vermont Landlord-Tenant Law for DIY Landlords (2026)

Security deposits, late fees, notice periods, the 14-day rent notice and the ejectment timeline in Vermont, in plain English for landlords who manage their own rentals.

Last updated September 23, 2026

Vermont packs almost every rental rule into one chapter, the Residential Rental Agreements Act at 9 V.S.A. chapter 137. Evictions live in the ejectment chapter at 12 V.S.A. chapter 169. Those two cover most of what a small landlord needs.

Vermont is a notice state. The deadlines are long, and missing a date costs more than the money in dispute. Here is what to get right, with the section behind each rule.

Security deposits

There is no state cap on the amount. Vermont sets no maximum deposit in 9 V.S.A. § 4461. Your town may add rules, since the statute lets municipalities adopt deposit ordinances on top of the state minimums.

You have 14 days to return it. The clock runs from the date the tenant vacated, or the date you discover the unit was vacated or abandoned. Seasonal rentals that are not the tenant's primary residence get 60 days (§ 4461).

You can deduct for four things. Unpaid rent, damage beyond normal wear and tear, unpaid utility charges the tenant agreed to pay, and the cost of removing property left behind (§ 4461).

Miss the 14 days and you keep nothing. An itemized written statement goes back with whatever is left of the money. Blow the deadline and you forfeit the right to withhold any part of the deposit. Withhold it willfully and you owe double the amount wrongfully held, plus the tenant's attorney fees and costs (§ 4461).

Put a calendar reminder on every move-out date. Fourteen days goes fast.

Late fees

Vermont's rental chapter sets no late-fee cap and no grace period. Rent is payable without demand at the time and place the two of you agreed (9 V.S.A. § 4455(a)). That is the whole statutory rule, so write the fee into the lease, keep it modest, and tie it to a stated day of the month.

Rent increases

Sixty days' actual notice. An increase takes effect on the first day of the rental period following at least 60 days' actual notice to the tenant (§ 4455(b)).

Age-restricted housing has an extra step. Privately owned age-restricted property needs the same 60 days' written notice to residents and to the Department of Housing and Community Development. Miss either one and the increase is unenforceable (§ 4468a, effective June 17, 2024).

No statewide rent cap. Vermont law limits the timing of an increase, not the size of it. Check your town's ordinances anyway.

Entering the unit

You may enter with the tenant's consent, which the tenant cannot unreasonably withhold. Without consent, you need at least 48 hours' notice, and entry happens between 9 A.M. and 9 P.M., for inspections, repairs, agreed services, or showings to buyers, lenders, tenants or contractors. No notice is needed when you have a reasonable belief of imminent danger to a person or to property (§ 4460).

Ending a month-to-month tenancy

For a no-cause termination, the notice depends on how long the tenant has been there (§ 4467).

Two years or less. At least 60 days' notice.
More than two years. At least 90 days' notice.
Rent payable weekly. At least 21 days' notice.
Shared occupancy with you. At least 15 days if rent is monthly, 7 days if weekly.

A written agreement for a definite term of two years or less ends on 30 days' notice before the term expires, 60 days for a longer term, 7 days week to week. Every notice states the date the tenancy ends.

When rent isn't paid

Give actual notice naming a termination date at least 14 days out. If the tenant pays or tenders the full amount due through that rental period before the termination date, the rental agreement stays alive and you start over (§ 4467(a)).

There is a second bite at the apple. In an ejectment case for nonpayment, a tenant can defeat it once in any 12 months by paying all rent due through the current rental period, with interest and costs of suit, before the writ is executed (12 V.S.A. § 4773).

The eviction (ejectment) process

Notice. Serve the right notice for the reason, with the termination date on it (9 V.S.A. § 4467).
File. Once the termination date passes and the tenant is still there, file for possession, damages and costs in the Superior Court civil division. The complaint describes the premises and attaches the rental agreement and the notice to terminate (9 V.S.A. § 4468, 12 V.S.A. § 4852).
Serve. Process is served and notice given as in other civil actions (12 V.S.A. § 4853).
Ask for rent into court. File a motion with an affidavit, with the complaint or later. The hearing comes on 14 days' notice. If the tenant stops paying the ordered amount, you get judgment for possession and a writ a sheriff can execute 7 days after service (12 V.S.A. § 4853a).
Judgment and writ. Win, and you get judgment for possession, rent due, damages and costs, plus reasonable attorney fees when the lease provides for them. A sheriff serves the writ and puts you back in possession no earlier than 14 days after service (§ 4854, amended by 2025 Act 13, effective May 5, 2025).
Leftover property. Property left in the unit can be disposed of 15 days after the writ is served, or after possession is restored, whichever is later (§ 4854a).

Two lines you do not cross. Do not cut off a utility you supply, except for temporary emergency repairs, and do not deny the tenant access to the unit or their belongings outside of court process (9 V.S.A. § 4463). An illegal eviction exposes you to injunctive relief, damages, costs and attorney fees (§ 4464).

Retaliation carries its own risk. Terminate within 90 days after a municipal or state entity notifies you of a code violation and the termination is presumed retaliatory (§ 4465).

Repairs and habitability

Every Vermont rental carries a warranty that the unit is safe, clean and fit for human habitation and meets building and health codes, with a reasonable amount of heat and adequate hot and cold water. No lease can waive it (9 V.S.A. § 4457).

Once you have actual notice of a problem that materially affects health and safety, from the tenant, a government entity or a qualified inspector, fix it in a reasonable time. Drag your feet and the tenant may withhold rent, sue for damages and attorney fees, or end the tenancy (§ 4458).

Minor defects have a cheaper path. After 30 days' notice with no repair, a tenant can fix the defect and deduct the reasonable cost, capped at one half of one month's rent (§ 4459).

Two rules on renting the unit

Application fees for residential units are banned outright (§ 4456a, amended by 2025 Act 69, effective July 1, 2025). For a credit or background check you take a government-issued ID, an ITIN or a Social Security number, and you cannot require the Social Security number.

Before signing, disclose in a separate written document whether any part of the premises sits in a FEMA mapped special flood hazard area, on the model form from the Department of Housing and Community Development (§ 4466, effective June 17, 2024).

The short version

No deposit cap, returned in 14 days with an itemized statement, 60 days for seasonal rentals
Miss that deadline and you forfeit the whole deposit, willful withholding doubles it
No statutory late-fee cap or grace period
60 days' notice for a rent increase, 60 or 90 days to end a month-to-month
48 hours' notice to enter, between 9 A.M. and 9 P.M.
14 days' notice for nonpayment, and the tenant can cure by paying in full
Writ of possession executed no earlier than 14 days after it is served

Let Taz handle the paperwork

Taz is an AI property manager for landlords who would rather not live in the statute books. It tracks the 14-day deposit clock, sends rent reminders, takes maintenance requests day and night, and keeps the records a Vermont judge would ask for. See how Taz works.

Where this guide says a state has no rule on something, that means we found no statute setting one, which is not the same as none existing. Local ordinances and court practice can add requirements. Confirm anything you plan to rely on.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Laws change, and your city or town may add rules. Talk to a Vermont attorney before acting on a specific situation. Last checked September 2026.