Alabama Eviction Notice: 7 Business Days to Pay or Cure (§ 35-9A-421)

Ala. Code § 35-9A-421(b) provides that if rent is unpaid when due, the landlord may deliver written notice specifying the rent and any late fees owed and stating the lease terminates on a date "not less than seven business days after receipt of the notice"; if not paid within those seven business days, the lease terminates. Section 35-9A-421(a) applies the same seven-business-day cure period to other material noncompliance, though some breaches (illegal drug activity, criminal assault, firearm discharge) are non-curable. After the notice period, the landlord files an unlawful-detainer suit; the tenant has seven days to answer, and a contested eviction commonly resolves in roughly three to eight weeks. Self-help lockouts are prohibited.

A landlord who uses self-help eviction, locks out a tenant, or shuts off utilities is liable under Ala. Code § 35-9A-407 for actual damages of at least three months' rent or actual damages, whichever is greater, plus reasonable attorney's fees.