Pay and stay (redemption)

In most states, you can stop an eviction for unpaid rent by paying all the rent you owe. Your state's guide has the deadline for this.

If the case is about unpaid rent, paying all the back rent often ends it. Most states allow this. Act fast and get a dated receipt for any payment.

You can stop your lease from ending because of unpaid rent. Pay all the rent and late fees you owe before the deadline in your landlord's notice. If you pay in time, your lease does not end.

After your landlord has given you the written notice about unpaid rent, your landlord may accept part of the rent you owe. Your landlord may then move back the date of the eviction.

A public utility (electric, gas or water company) may cut off your service because you did not pay for it. Your landlord can then give you a written notice to quit. You keep your lease if you do three things within 3 days after the notice. You turn the service back on. You repay the landlord any amounts paid to restore it. And the home was not damaged because of the cut.

If you don't pay rent, New Mexico law requires your landlord to give you written notice before ending your lease. You then have 3 days after the notice to pay the full amount owed. If you pay in full within the 3 days, in the way the notice describes, your landlord cannot end your lease for nonpayment.

If you fall behind on rent, Arizona law gives you a way to keep your lease. Pay your landlord all of the rent that is past due. If your written lease sets a reasonable late fee, pay that too. You must do this before your landlord takes you to court.

You can stop the eviction case before it starts. Pay all the rent you owe, plus any reasonable late fee written in your lease, before your landlord files the case in court. If you do, your lease continues.

Even after your landlord files the eviction case in court, you can still stop it. You must pay all the rent you owe, a reasonable late fee written in your lease, and your landlord's court costs and lawyer fees. Once the court rules for your landlord, only your landlord can decide whether to let you stay.

A new rule started in 2026. If this is your first missed month this lease term, the landlord must let you catch up. They must send you a Notice to Pay Rent or Vacate. Pay everything you owe by the deadline and the landlord cannot file the eviction.

Your Notice to Quit may not tell you about your right to pay the rent you owe. If it does not, you have until your court Answer is due to pay and stop the eviction.

If the court finds that your landlord owes you more money than the rent you owe, your landlord cannot evict you. If the court finds you still owe your landlord more, you can keep your home. Pay that remaining amount, plus interest and fees, to the court clerk within 1 week. The week starts when you are told how much you owe in writing.

If you do what the notice says by the deadline, your landlord should not start an eviction case. To pay, call your landlord or the landlord's agent right away. Pay by the end of the third day, by cashier's check, money order, or cash if your rental agreement allows it. Get a receipt signed by the landlord or agent showing the date and amount. If the landlord does not answer, you still have only 3 days to mail or deliver payment to the address in the notice.

If you are behind on rent, you can stop the case. Pay everything you owe under the notice, plus any rent due since. You can do this any time before the judge decides who gets the home. Pay your landlord or pay the court. Once the court sees you paid in full, it must cancel any judgment (the court's decision) already made. It must also dismiss the case for good. Your lease cannot take away this right.

If your eviction case was for unpaid rent, you can pay what you owe after a judgment (the court's final decision in your case). You must pay this to the court clerk within 5 days of that decision. Paying this lets you then ask the court for more time before you must move out. This extra time is called a stay of execution.

You, or someone paying for you, may pay all the rent due. If this happens before your landlord starts a court case, the landlord cannot start an eviction case (called summary possession) over that unpaid rent.

You, or someone paying for you, may pay all the rent due under your lease. If this happens after your landlord starts a case for unpaid or late rent, the landlord cannot keep that case going over the unpaid rent.

After a court enters a judgment (the court's final decision) against you, your landlord may require a certified check or money order.

In Delaware, you or another person or group may pay all rent due before your landlord starts a court action. Then your landlord may not start an eviction case based on that unpaid rent. Your landlord may not refuse the payment. Your landlord may limit payment to the methods the lease accepts.

In Delaware, you or someone else may pay all rent due under your lease after your landlord starts a case for unpaid rent. Then your landlord may not keep that case going over the unpaid rent. Before a judgment (the court's final decision), your landlord may limit payment to the methods your lease accepts. After a judgment, your landlord may require a certified check or money order.

Suppose your landlord asks for or wins a judgment (the court's final decision) for possession in a case about unpaid rent. You then have the right of redemption (the right to pay and keep your home). You pay all past due amounts the court sets. That includes rent due under the lease plus costs and fees the court awards. You can do this any time before the eviction order is carried out. It does not apply if 2 judgments of possession for unpaid rent were entered against you in the 18 months before the case began.

If you pay your landlord the full amount named in the 3-day notice before it runs out, they have no rent to act on. Florida law lets your landlord ask a court to remove you only if you do not pay or move out within that 3-day period.

A Georgia landlord may file an eviction case for unpaid rent. You then have 7 days after you are served with the court papers to pay the rent and fees owed, plus court costs. If you pay, the landlord cannot evict you. You can use this defense with the landlord only once in a 12-month period. Paying what is owed to stop the case is called the tender defense.

In Georgia, a tenant may use the tender defense with the same landlord only once in a 12-month period. The tender defense means paying all rent and fees owed, plus court costs, to stop an eviction case.

If a Georgia landlord tries to evict for unpaid rent, the tenant can “tender” (offer to pay) the rent and fees owed, plus court costs. The tenant has 7 days once the eviction case is served. If the money owed is paid, the landlord cannot evict. The tenant may use the tender defense with the same landlord only once in a 12-month period.

In Georgia, a judgment (the court's final decision in your case) may be entered in the landlord's favor. After that, the tenant can still be removed even if the tenant pays the landlord.

You must pay the full amount in the notice to stop the eviction. Paying part of the rent does not stop it unless your landlord agrees in writing to accept less. For example, if the notice demands $1,200, paying $1,000 is not enough on its own.

If you pay the full rent named in that notice within the 3 days, your landlord cannot evict you over that unpaid rent. If you do not pay within the 3 days, your landlord may file a court case to remove you from your home.

If you pay your landlord after you get an eviction notice and your landlord accepts the payment, they should not continue with the eviction case. When you pay, get a receipt or bring someone with you as a witness.

A notice for unpaid rent tells you to pay the rent or leave by the deadline in the notice. One option is to do what the notice asks and pay the rent demanded before that deadline.

If you pay the full amount within the 3 days, you keep your home. Get a receipt and keep it.

If you are 7 days or more behind on rent, you can pay the full rent due before your 7-day written notice ends. Then the notice does not count. Payment through the general assistance program counts the same as cash. So does written assurance of payment (a written promise to pay). The State or a municipality (a city or town) sets up the program.

You may be 7 days or more behind on rent. Pay the full rent due before the 7-day notice ends. Then the notice no longer counts.

In an at-will rental, you can still pay after the 7-day notice ends. Pay all the rent you owe, all rent due on the day you pay, and the filing and service fees your landlord actually spent. Do it before the writ of possession (the order to remove you) is issued. Then your rental is reinstated (put back). No removal order can issue.

At your trial, you or someone else can pay your landlord in full. This means the rent, late fees, and court costs the judge says you owe. If you do, the eviction case ends there and the court marks it as paid in full.

Even after the judge orders you evicted in a failure-to-pay-rent case, you can still stop it before the sheriff acts. Pay your landlord or their agent the full past-due amount plus court costs and fees. You can pay in cash, a certified check, or a money order, any time before the eviction happens.

Maryland law lets you stop an eviction for unpaid rent. You must pay your landlord all past-due rent, plus court costs and fees, before the sheriff removes you. This is called your right of redemption. There is one limit on this right. Say the court entered 3 judgments (final court decisions) giving your landlord the home for unpaid rent. If that happened in the 12 months before this case, you cannot use it.

If your case is only about unpaid rent, the court may delay it. You must show that you fell behind because of money problems (financial hardship). You must also show the court that you applied for emergency rental assistance (money to help pay rent) and are waiting for an answer.

If the court decides your landlord owes you more than you owe them because of your defenses, your landlord cannot evict you. If your landlord is owed more, you can keep your home by paying the court clerk the amount owed within 1 week. This week starts when the court tells you in writing how much you owe.

If your landlord wins an eviction case for unpaid rent, you can still stop your removal. In most cases, an officer cannot remove you until 10 days after the judgment (the court's written decision). Within that 10 days, you can pay your landlord the full amount stated in the judgment. You must also pay the court costs the judge added. Once you pay that full amount within the 10 days, the court will not issue the removal order.

If your landlord sues you for not paying rent, you can stop the eviction. Pay the rent you owe, plus interest, court costs, and an attorney's fee of up to $5. You must also follow the other rules in your lease. Do this any time before you are removed, and you can stay in your home. This does not apply if your landlord also accuses you of a material violation of your lease (breaking an important lease rule).

Your landlord can accuse you of not paying rent and of a material violation of your lease (breaking an important lease rule). Both claims can be part of the same case. If your landlord does not prove that violation, you can still argue you do not owe the rent. The court then gives you up to 7 more days, counted from its decision, to pay what you owe.

A judgment (the court's final decision) may give the landlord the home based only on unpaid rent. Then the judge may not issue a warrant for removal if you paid in full by the court-ordered move-out date. You must pay all unpaid rent and other sums the judgment awards. The judge also may not issue it if the landlord accepted that payment after that date. The landlord must accept full payment offered by that date in good faith.

At your court hearing, you can stop the eviction by paying the judge all the rent you owe plus court costs. You must pay this before the judge decides your case, not after.

Some problems can be fixed by repairs, by paying for damage, or by written approval from you and your landlord. If yours can, fix it before the date in the notice. Then your rental agreement does not end.

The unpaid rent notice offers a choice: pay the rent owed, or give up the home by the deadline. Your landlord can only ask the court for an eviction order after you fail to do either by that deadline. Paying the full amount by the deadline meets the notice and stops that step.

New Hampshire courts must dismiss (end) a case based only on unpaid rent if you pay before the hearing on the merits (the main hearing). You pay all rent owed, other lawful charges in your lease, a $15 charge set by the law, and the landlord's filing and service fees. The landlord must send the court a receipt before the hearing date. You can use this rule only 3 times in 12 months.

A court case based only on unpaid rent must be dismissed (ended) if two things happen. First, you pay your landlord before the hearing on the merits (the hearing that decides the case). Pay in cash, certified check, prepaid money order, electronic transfer, or other guaranteed funds. You pay all rent due through that day, other lawful charges in the lease, $15, and the landlord's filing and service fees. Second, the landlord gives the court a receipt. You can use this rule only 3 times in 12 months.

In a case based only on unpaid rent, suppose your landlord does not file a receipt of your payment with the court. The hearing on the merits (the hearing that decides the case) then goes ahead. The court must dismiss (end) the case if you prove you paid before the hearing. You must have paid all rent due, other lawful charges in the lease, $15, and the landlord's filing and service fees. You can use this rule only 3 times in 12 months.

A tenant cannot defeat an eviction for not paying rent by paying under RSA 540:9 for a 4th time within a 12-month period.

You cannot be evicted if you pay your landlord the full rent owed. This is true even after a judgment (the court's final decision in your case) for possession. You then have 3 business days from that decision to pay the rent and any approved costs. Your landlord cannot refuse a timely full payment from you, a charity, or a rental assistance (money to help pay rent) program.

You can stop this 3-day notice by paying your landlord the full amount owed. You must pay the way the notice describes, before the 3 days are up. If you do, your landlord cannot start a case against you for that unpaid rent.

In a nonpayment case (a court case about unpaid rent), paying the full rent owed ends the case. If you pay everything before the hearing, your landlord must accept it and the case is over. After the judgment (the court's final decision), you can still pay all the rent before the eviction. You can pay the landlord or deposit the rent with the court. The court must then cancel the warrant (the court order that allows the eviction), unless your landlord proves you held back rent in bad faith.

If your landlord takes you to court for not paying rent, paying stops the eviction. If you pay all the rent you owe before the marshal acts, the court must dismiss the case.

You can stop this case if you owe rent. Before the magistrate gives a judgment (the court's decision), pay or offer to pay the rent you owe plus the court costs. Once you do, the case stops there.

There is one way to stay in your home after losing for unpaid rent. You must have believed in good faith that your landlord failed to give you a required service like water or heat. That must be why you did not pay. You must also have given written notice of this within 10 days of the day rent was due. Actual notice to your landlord's rent agent in that time also counts. If all of this is true, the court can let you stay. You must then pay what the court ordered, including court costs and lawyer fees, by cash or cashier's check, within 72 hours.

The court must dismiss your eviction case for unpaid rent if you paid, or arranged to pay, rental assistance (money to help pay rent). The court must also dismiss the case if you paid another amount that fully covers the rent your landlord says you owe. The court must also dismiss the case if your landlord did not give you a required notice. The court must also dismiss the case if your landlord kept you from paying, including by not reasonably working with a rental assistance program.

Paying stops a rent-only eviction at any point before the officer actually removes you. Pay the rent you owe plus court costs to the constable or sheriff (the officer who carries out evictions). The officer must give you a signed receipt. The eviction then ends, even after the landlord has won in court.

If the eviction is only for unpaid rent, paying stops it. This right lasts until the officer actually removes you. Pay the rent you owe plus court costs to the constable or sheriff (the officer who carries out evictions). The eviction then ends and you stay. The officer must give you a signed receipt.

If the eviction is only for unpaid rent, you can stop it at any time before you are actually removed. Pay the constable or sheriff carrying out the eviction. Pay the amount owed under the order of possession (the court order telling the officer to give the home back to your landlord). That is the rent in arrears (past-due rent you have not paid) plus the costs. The officer must accept the payment and give you a signed receipt.

If the eviction is only for unpaid rent, you can stop it at any time before the officer removes you. Pay the officer all the back rent plus court costs. The officer must give you a signed receipt.

You may cure your unpaid rent (fix it by paying) by paying the full rent before your landlord files an eviction suit.

Rhode Island law says a landlord must send a written notice when rent is 15 days late. If you got no such notice in the 6 months before the case was filed, you may pay after it starts. You pay the full rent owed, plus court costs, at the hearing.

In most cases, a rental agreement does not end if you adequately fix the breach before the date in the notice. If you do not fix it, the landlord may start an eviction case.

Once the court case starts, you must keep paying rent to your landlord as it comes due while the case is open. Your landlord must give you a written receipt for each payment, unless you pay by check. If you and your landlord disagree about how much rent you owe, the court will hold a hearing to decide the amount.

You must pay your landlord any rent you already owed before your court case started. Instead of paying again, you can show the court a receipt or a cancelled check proving you already paid that rent.

Sometimes your landlord must give you a notice to pay rent or vacate (move out) instead. This applies when the case is only about unpaid rent and this is the first month you have been late this lease term. You can pay the full rent you owe, plus any late fee your lease allows, by the deadline in the notice and stay. This right applies to cases filed on or after January 1, 2026. If you were already late earlier in the lease term, your landlord may skip the pay option.

A landlord can file a possession bond (a bond filed with the court) after filing the eviction complaint. Say the case is based only on unpaid rent or other amounts due. The case is dismissed if you pay within 3 calendar days after you are served with notice of the bond. The lease stays in force. You must pay the rent owed so far, all other amounts due, and costs, including attorney fees as provided in the rental agreement.

In Vermont, your rental agreement does not end over unpaid rent if you pay or offer the rent due. You must cover the rent due through the end of the rental period in which you pay.

In a Vermont eviction case over unpaid rent, you can stop the case by paying into court. You pay all rent due through the end of the current rental period, plus interest and court costs. You must pay before a writ of possession (a court order for the sheriff to put the landlord in possession) is carried out. You can do this only one time in 12 months. The 12 months start on the day you pay.

In a Vermont eviction case for unpaid rent, the case is discontinued (ended) if you pay the court. You pay all rent due through the end of the current rental period, plus interest and court costs. You must pay before a writ of possession (a court order to put you out) is carried out. You can do this only one time in 12 months.

In Vermont, paying all rent owed, interest, and court costs defeats an eviction case only one time in 12 months. The 12 months begin on the day you pay.

If your case is only about unpaid rent, you can stop it by paying in full. Someone else can pay for you too. This means paying all rent you owe, other charges and fees your lease requires, and late fees and lawyer fees your lease requires. You must also pay court costs the law requires. Once you pay in full, the court will dismiss the case, unless your landlord also has another reason for the eviction besides unpaid rent.

Even after the judge orders your eviction, you can still stop it. You must pay your landlord, their lawyer, or the court everything you owe. This includes rent, court costs, and fees. You must pay at least 48 hours before the sheriff is set to remove you. Once you pay, your landlord must tell the sheriff to cancel the eviction.

If you lose at the hearing, the court enters a judgment (the court's final decision in your case) against you. If the case was for unpaid rent, you have 2 ways to stay. First, you have 5 court days to pay everything you owe under the judgment and stay in your home. This includes rent, court costs, late fees up to $75, and any lawyer's fee the court awarded.

The second way to stay after losing a case for not paying rent is a payment plan. You can ask the court for a payment plan of up to 90 days. The court may allow it if you show good cause. Both ways to stay apply only when the case is for unpaid rent.

You usually cannot ask for a payment plan after 3 or more pay-or-vacate notices (notices telling you to pay rent or move out). That means 3 or more in the 12 months before the notice in this case. The bar does not apply if the court finds any of those notices invalid. It also does not apply if you can pay through the state landlord mitigation program (a state fund that pays your landlord for you).

A DC notice for unpaid rent says you can stay in the rental unit if you pay the total unpaid rent in full. The landlord can file an eviction case if you owe at least $600 and do not pay in full within 30 days of the notice.

In a DC case over unpaid rent, the court may pause the case 1 time. You must give the court papers showing a pending Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) application. ERAP is rental assistance (money to help pay rent).

Suppose a DC court has allowed an eviction based only on unpaid rent. You tell your landlord at least 48 hours before the eviction that you have an approved ERAP application. ERAP is the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, rental assistance (money to help pay rent). The application must pay the full amount needed to redeem the tenancy (keep the right to stay by paying). Then the landlord must cancel the eviction.

In Wisconsin, your landlord can send you a notice that you broke the lease, or can start a court eviction case against you. After that, paying what you owe does not by itself end the case. Your landlord can still continue the case even after taking a late payment from you.