Tenant Notified me of Partial Payment

[Evan Franco]

I am very new to being a landlord (less than a year) and my tenant just informed me they will not be able to pay the full rent on the 1st of next month.  They said they'd be able to pay only ~1/4 of the amount ($2,000/mo) on the 1st and they are looking to get assistance via friends/family as well as the state's Rental Assistance Program.  I have worked with the Rental Assistance program before when the tenant first moved in and when I reached out to the contacts there, they mentioned it would take minimum 2 weeks to get any sort of checks issued.

I have been reading a bit on several different websites/forums that have information specific to my state (MA) and they basically all said to issue a notice to quit (either 14 or 30 day) on the 2nd of the month.  I am unsure if this is necessary but would like to hear opinions of more experienced landlords.

Any advice for a new landlord in this semi-tricky situation would be greatly appreciated!