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Vermont landlord-tenant law.

Updated August 2026. No state or local rent control in Vermont; landlords must give at least 60 days' notice before any rent increase takes effect (9 V.S.A. § 4455(b)), but the amount itself is not capped.

Deposit limit

No statutory cap on the amount of a security deposit (9 V.S.A. § 4461).

Deposit return

Landlord must return the deposit balance, with a written itemized statement of any deductions, within 14 days after discovering the tenant has vacated, extended to 60 days for a seasonal rental that is not the tenant's primary residence (9 V.S.A. § 4461(c)).

Notice to pay

Landlord must give the tenant at least 14 days' actual notice of the date the tenancy will terminate for nonpayment of rent (9 V.S.A. § 4467(a)).

Landlord entry

Landlord must give at least 48 hours' notice and may only enter between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., except when there is a reasonable belief of imminent danger to a person or the property (9 V.S.A. § 4460(b), (c)).

Security deposits

Deposit limit. No statutory cap on the amount of a security deposit (9 V.S.A. § 4461).

Getting it back. Landlord must return the deposit balance, with a written itemized statement of any deductions, within 14 days after discovering the tenant has vacated, extended to 60 days for a seasonal rental that is not the tenant's primary residence (9 V.S.A. § 4461(c)).

Late fees and rent

Vermont's landlord-tenant chapter has no statutory late fee cap and no mandatory grace period; rent is simply payable at the time and place the parties agreed to, so a late fee is enforceable only to the extent the lease provides for one and it is reasonable (9 V.S.A. § 4455(a)).

Ending a tenancy

Nonpayment of rent. Landlord must give the tenant at least 14 days' actual notice of the date the tenancy will terminate for nonpayment of rent (9 V.S.A. § 4467(a)).

Month-to-month termination. Without a written rental agreement, either party must give at least 60 days' actual notice to end a tenancy where the tenant has lived there 2 years or less, or at least 90 days' notice if the tenant has lived there longer than 2 years (9 V.S.A. § 4467(c)(1)); a written lease can set its own terms for ending a periodic tenancy.

Landlord entry

Landlord must give at least 48 hours' notice and may only enter between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., except when there is a reasonable belief of imminent danger to a person or the property (9 V.S.A. § 4460(b), (c)).

Required disclosures

  • Federal lead based paint disclosure for housing built before 1978 (42 U.S.C. 4852d, 24 CFR Part 35)
  • Written notice, in a separate document at or before lease signing, if any part of the rental premises is in a FEMA mapped special flood hazard area, using the state's model form (9 V.S.A. § 4466)

Lease clauses that do not hold up

  • Any lease provision that circumvents or waives the obligations and remedies this chapter gives a tenant is void and unenforceable (9 V.S.A. § 4454)
  • Retaliatory rent increases, service reductions, or eviction against a tenant who complains about a code violation, contacts a health or safety agency, or organizes with other tenants (9 V.S.A. § 4465)

Notes for landlords

Vermont's chapter has a broad catch-all voiding any lease clause that circumvents the statute, so unusual landlord-favorable lease language carries real legal risk even without a specific named prohibition. The 60/90 day month-to-month notice split by tenancy length only governs when there is no written rental agreement setting its own terms, so a written lease is worth having to control that timeline.

Sources

This guide is general legal information for landlords, not legal advice. Statutes change and local ordinances can add stricter rules on top of state law. Confirm any requirement with the current statute or a licensed attorney in your state before acting on it.

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