three-day notice

three-day notice n. a notice to pay delinquent rent or quit (leave or vacate) the premises given by a landlord to a tenant, which in most states gives the tenant three days to pay or get out. Service of the notice and failure of the tenant to pay or vacate within three days provides the basis for a lawsuit for unlawful detainer (eviction) for unpaid rent and a court judgment ordering the tenant to leave. While the three-day notice period is common it does not apply in all states or in all circumstances, such as local rent control ordinances. (See: unlawful detainer, landlord and tenant, service)