Montana 30-Day Termination Notice — Common Mistakes

Montana's URLTA framework under MCA § 70-24 is structurally similar to Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas. The 3-day non-payment notice, the 14-day cure rule for material breach, and the 30-day no-cause termination are all standard. The state-specific quirk is the deposit return clock — split between 10 days (no deductions claimed) and 30 days (deductions claimed).

The 3-day non-payment notice

MCA § 70-24-422 requires 3 days written notice to pay or quit for non-payment of rent. Day of service excluded.

Material breach

MCA § 70-24-422: 14-day notice with right to cure for material non-rent breaches.

No-cause month-to-month termination

MCA § 70-24-441: 30 days written notice. Standard URLTA tier.

The split deposit return clock

MCA § 70-25-202 imposes an unusual two-tier return timeline:

• 10 days after termination if NO deductions are claimed.
• 30 days after termination if deductions ARE claimed.

The 10-day rule for no-deduction returns is among the fastest in the US. Operators who default to the 30-day rule are sometimes late on full-refund cases.

Deposit cap

No statutory cap on the deposit amount.

Habitability (MCA § 70-24-303)

URLTA-style habitability obligations.

Entry notice (MCA § 70-24-312)

At least 24 hours notice for non-emergency entry.

Rent increase

No statewide cap. No Montana city operates rent control. Notice mirrors the 30-day termination rule.

Discrimination

The Montana Human Rights Act mirrors federal classes. No statewide source-of-income protection.

Required disclosures

• Federal lead-paint disclosure for pre-1978 properties.
• Identification of owner/agent (MCA § 70-24-301).

Compliance checklist

1. Federal lead-paint disclosure for pre-1978 properties.
2. Owner/agent identification per § 70-24-301.
3. Move-in inspection with photos.
4. 3-day pay-or-quit for non-payment evictions.
5. 14-day cure for material non-rent breaches.
6. 30-day no-cause termination notice for month-to-month tenancies.
7. Deposit return: 10 days (no deductions) OR 30 days (deductions claimed) — pick correctly.
8. 24-hour entry notice clause in the lease.

How Proprietio handles Montana leases

Proprietio's Montana-tier lease template applies the § 70-24 disclosures and the 24-hour entry default. The deposit return workflow asks at move-out whether deductions are being claimed and sets the appropriate clock (10 or 30 days) accordingly. Move-in inspection is required.

Montana's URLTA implementation is uniform and operator-friendly when the split deposit clock is respected. The 10-day rule for no-deduction returns is the most-missed Montana-specific timing.