Massachusetts landlord rules: deposits, late fees and notices

Security deposit

Maximum deposit

1 month's rent

Return deadline

30 days after the tenancy ends

Penalty for late return

3x deposit + attorney's fees

Interest owed

Yes

Note

5% interest (or bank rate); strict compliance regime - separate escrow account, receipts, statement of condition

Work out the return date for a move-out

Source: M.G.L. c.186 §15B

Late fees

Rule

no fee may be charged until rent is 30 days late

Grace period

30 days

No statute cited in our data

Notice periods

Notice to pay or quit

14 days

Ending a month-to-month tenancy

one full rental period (30 days typical)

Notice before entering a unit

Not in our data

Work out the last day of a notice

No statute cited in our data

Screening

Source-of-income protection

Yes, statewide. Refusing a housing voucher is illegal.

No statute cited in our data

Licensing

To manage for others

No license required.

No statute cited in our data

How long an eviction takes

Among the slowest: 4 months or more, in tenant-protective courts. This is a rough tier from our data, not a court timeline.

Also worth knowing

• The deposit statute is the most dangerous in the country: ANY procedural miss (wrong account, missing receipt, missing condition statement) can void deductions and trigger treble damages + fees - many MA operators simply don't take deposits

Interest owed on deposits

Formula

5% or the actual bank rate, whichever the account yields

This year's figure

5%

Published by

statute (constant) / bank rate

Applies to

state

Source: M.G.L. c.186 §15B

A federal rule that can override this

Notice for nonpayment on covered properties

30 days

Note

Applies to 'covered properties' (federally backed mortgage or federal housing program). The 30-day notice requirement has no statutory sunset and courts are split - safest practice is a 30-day nonpayment notice on any covered property, regardless of shorter state timelines.

Source: CARES Act §4024