Rent Increase Notification

[Randy Babineau]

I currently own a fourplex which all tenants are on a month to month lease. I purchased the property in January 2022. When I purchased the property, I had the previous landlord increase the rents which were way below market value. In order to not raise the rent too high too quickly, I chose to do a smaller rent increase. I am looking to increase the rent again in the upcoming year. My question is, do I need to provide written notice or can I just send them a new lease in December 2022 with a start date of March 1 2023 with the rent amount increased on that? Does that suffice as a notice? In the state of Vermont, I only need to provide a 60 day notice of rent increase. Should I send the lease and another document highlighting the rent increase as well? 

[Michael Dumont II]

A simple notice or lease provided 60+ is sufficient unless it's Burlington or Barre where you may need 90 days+. However, depending on your own lease wording and the town you might want to send much sooner so that you can request written confirmation to the new terms. I have always just confirmed through follow up emails, but returned notice signed and post marked are always nice. This provides you with the opportunity to provide notice of "Terminate For No Cause" in a timely manor minimizing potential push back.