State Guide
Landlord–tenant law in Massachusetts
The rules that come up in practice — returning a deposit, charging a late fee, raising the rent — each read against the Massachusetts statute and quoted on its own page.
Security deposit return
Full rule →30 days
The 16th shortest of 49 states with a deadline.
M.G.L. c.186 s.15B(4)
Late fee limit
Full rule →No statutory cap
No fee until rent is 30 days late.
M.G.L. c.186 s.15B(1)(c)
Rent increase notice
Full rule →30 days
From the month-to-month termination rule, not a rent-increase statute. The 4th shortest of 49.
M.G.L. c.186 s.12
What is distinctive about Massachusetts
- Deposits: 30 days. Itemised list must be sworn under penalties of perjury and supported by written evidence of cost. Strict escrow and interest rules; up to treble damages.
- Late fees: uncapped by statute, so the limit is whatever a court would call reasonable. A 30-day grace period is mandatory.
- Rent increases: 30 days, borrowed from the termination rule because Massachusetts has no rent-increase statute.
The mistake that costs the most here
Treating “no statutory cap” as no limit. A late fee in Massachusettsis liquidated damages, and one set as a round percentage with no relation to the landlord’s actual cost is the kind of clause a judge strikes out.
Where these figures come from
Each rule above was read against the section it cites and the statutory wording is quoted on the dedicated page, so you can check it rather than take our word for it. That matters more than it sounds on this subject: when we read all 51 jurisdictions we found several widely-published figures to be wrong, including a Kentucky deposit deadline that does not exist, a South Dakota one reported as 14 days when the statute says 21, and late-fee caps for nine states that actually come from their self-storage statutes.
Local ordinances can add requirements the state does not, and statutes move — Washington, Connecticut, Nevada, Rhode Island and Maryland have all changed in the last three years. Each figure carries the date we read it.
States with the same deposit deadline
Common questions about Massachusetts
- How long does a Massachusetts landlord have to return a security deposit?
- 30 days under M.G.L. c.186 s.15B(4).
- What is the maximum late fee in Massachusetts?
- Massachusetts sets no statutory cap. A reasonableness standard applies instead, so a fee has to bear some relation to what the late payment actually costs the landlord.
- How much notice before a rent increase in Massachusetts?
- 30 days under M.G.L. c.186 s.12, which is the month-to-month termination rule — Massachusetts has no statute specifically about rent increases.
- Does Massachusetts have rent control?
- No statewide frequency limit is verified for Massachusetts. Only California, Oregon and Washington cap the amount of an increase statewide; some cities do so locally.
Let the software know the Massachusetts rules
Pacific Rentals Pro checks a lease’s late fee against the Massachusetts cap, counts the deposit deadline from the move-out date, and works out the latest day to serve a rent increase. Same verified data as this page.
Start free →Massachusetts rules last read against their cited sources on November 6, 2026. General information, not legal advice — verify the current text before relying on it, and check your city and county, which can impose more than the state does.