Massachusetts Landlord-Tenant Laws
Massachusetts Security deposits
Massachusetts caps security deposits at one month's rent — and at move-in a landlord may collect only first month, last month, that deposit, and the cost of a new lock and key, nothing else.
Massachusetts Rent increase notice
Massachusetts has no statute dedicated to rent-increase notice, but for tenants at will (month-to-month) the mechanism is built into the termination statute: a landlord raises rent by giving a written notice under G.L. c. 186, § 12 equal to the rent-payment interval or 30 days, whichever is longer — and the statute expressly allows that termination notice to include an offer of a new tenancy at different terms, which is how the rent-increase-by-notice-to-quit works.
Massachusetts Late fees
Massachusetts law forbids any late fee, interest, or penalty on unpaid rent until the rent is a full 30 days overdue — the longest mandatory grace period in the country — and any lease clause purporting to charge earlier is void and unenforceable.
Massachusetts Entry notice
Massachusetts sets no minimum hours of advance notice for landlord entry — the law instead restricts the purposes: a lease may permit entry only to inspect, make repairs, or show the unit to a prospective tenant, buyer, or lender, and beyond that a landlord may enter only with a court order, when the unit appears abandoned, or to inspect for deposit-deduction damage in the final 30 days of the tenancy.
How this record was verified: Direct read of statute text on the official Massachusetts General Court site (malegislature.gov): G.L. c. 186, § 15B read in full (current text including the St. 2025, c. 9, §§ 54-55 amendments effective 2025-08-01), c. 186, § 12 read in full, c. 186 chapter index and c. 40P location confirmed on malegislature.gov, cross-checked against the Mass.gov official law-library pages on security deposits and landlord-tenant law (which also confirm c. 40P's continued force and the 2025 broker-fee change to c. 112, § 87DDD1/2).