Massachusetts Tenant Rights Guide

Last updated: April 2026

Massachusetts has no rent control anywhere in the state. Cambridge, Boston, and Brookline had rent control until voters abolished it statewide in 1994 (M.G.L. c. 40P), which still bars any municipality from enacting or enforcing rent control. Massachusetts does have strong tenant protections on security deposits, habitability, and discrimination. Since August 1, 2025, a residential rental broker's fee must be paid by whoever hired the broker (usually the landlord); tenants may not be required to pay or be charged a disguised broker fee (new M.G.L. c. 112, § 87DDD½, enforced via c. 186, § 15B and c. 93A). Effective May 5, 2025, tenants may petition to seal certain eviction records (dismissed/tenant-favorable, no-fault, and satisfied non-payment cases), and consumer reporting agencies may not report sealed records (Affordable Homes Act, Chapter 150 of the Acts of 2024, amending M.G.L. c. 239).

Massachusetts at a Glance

Rent control: None
Statewide rent cap: None — landlords can raise rent by any amount
Preemption: Massachusetts voters abolished local rent control statewide in 1994 (Ballot Question 9, codified at M.G.L. c. 40P, the Rent Control Prohibition Act). Section 4 still prohibits any city or town from enacting, maintaining, or enforcing rent control of any kind (a narrow exception requires the municipality to formally accept the chapter and compensate owners from its general fund; none have done so), and Section 5 preempts contrary local law. No rent control is in effect anywhere in Massachusetts.

What Protections Massachusetts Tenants Do Have

Even without rent control, Massachusetts law gives renters meaningful rights in these areas:

Security Deposit

Massachusetts has some of the strictest deposit rules in the country. The deposit cannot exceed 1 month's rent and must be held in a separate interest-bearing bank account. Landlords must return it within 30 days with an itemized statement. Violations can result in treble damages (M.G.L. c. 186, § 15B).

Notice to Terminate

Month-to-month tenants must receive at least 30 days' written notice before the landlord can terminate the tenancy. The notice must expire at the end of a rental period (M.G.L. c. 186, § 12).

Repairs & Habitability

Massachusetts has a strong sanitary code (105 CMR 410). Tenants can report violations to the local board of health. If conditions are severe, tenants may withhold rent, repair-and-deduct, or terminate the lease (M.G.L. c. 111, § 127L).

Retaliation Protection

Strong retaliation protections — landlords cannot raise rent, reduce services, or evict in response to a tenant exercising legal rights. Retaliation within 6 months of a protected act is presumed retaliatory (M.G.L. c. 186, § 18).

Eviction Without Just Cause

Massachusetts does not require just cause to terminate a tenancy. A tenancy at will may be ended by either party with proper written notice (M.G.L. c. 186, §§ 11-12), and fault evictions proceed through the summary process (M.G.L. c. 239). No Massachusetts municipality, including Boston, has an in-force just-cause eviction ordinance; Boston's measure remains a pending home-rule petition the Legislature has not enacted.

Check your address to see what tenant protections apply to your rental.

Major Cities in Massachusetts

Abington — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Acton — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Acushnet — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Agawam Town — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Amesbury Town — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Amherst Town — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Andover — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Arlington — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Ashland — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Athol — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Attleboro — No — Massachusetts banned rent control statewide in 1994. The prohibition was lifted in 2020, but At
Auburn — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Barnstable Town — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Bedford — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Belchertown — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Bellingham — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Belmont — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Beverly — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Billerica — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Boston — No rent control; Boston enacted a Just Cause Eviction ordinance in 2024 — landlords need a valid reason to end your tenancy.
Bourne — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Braintree Town — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Brewster — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Bridgewater Town — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Brockton — No rent control. Massachusetts banned it statewide in 1994 and Brockton has not enacted a new ordina
Brookline — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Burlington — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Cambridge — No rent control currently (repealed in 1994); the state law allowing cities to re-enact it passed in 2020 but Cambridge has not acted yet.
Canton — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Carver — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Charlton — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Chelmsford — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Chelsea — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Chicopee — No — Massachusetts banned rent control statewide in 1994. Chicopee has not enacted any local rent co
Clinton — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Concord — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Danvers — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Dartmouth — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Dedham — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Dennis — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Dracut — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Dudley — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Duxbury — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
East Bridgewater — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
East Longmeadow — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Easthampton Town — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Easton — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Everett — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Fairhaven — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Fall River — No rent control. Massachusetts banned it statewide in 1994 and Fall River has not enacted a new ordi
Falmouth — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Fitchburg — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Foxborough — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Framingham — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Franklin Town — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Gardner — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Gloucester — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Grafton — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Greenfield — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Groton — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Hanover — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Hanson — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Harwich — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Haverhill — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Hingham — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Holbrook — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Holden — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Holliston — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Holyoke — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Hopkinton — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Hudson — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Hull — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Ipswich — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Kingston — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Lakeville — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Lawrence — No rent control. Massachusetts banned it statewide in 1994 and Lawrence has not enacted a new ordina
Leicester — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Leominster — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Lexington — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Littleton — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Longmeadow — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Lowell — No rent control. Massachusetts banned it statewide in 1994 and Lowell has not enacted a new ordinanc
Ludlow — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Lunenburg — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Lynn — No rent control. Massachusetts banned it statewide in 1994 and Lynn has not enacted a new ordinance.
Lynnfield — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Malden — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Mansfield — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Marblehead — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Marlborough — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Marshfield — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Mashpee — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Maynard — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Medfield — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Medford — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Medway — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Melrose — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Methuen — No rent control. Massachusetts banned it statewide in 1994; Methuen has not enacted any local ordina
Methuen Town — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Middleborough — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Milford — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Millbury — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Milton — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Nantucket — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Natick — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Needham — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
New Bedford — No rent control. Massachusetts banned it statewide in 1994 and New Bedford has not enacted a new ord
Newburyport — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Newton — No rent control. Massachusetts banned it statewide in 1994 and Newton has not enacted a new ordinanc
Norfolk — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
North Adams — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
North Andover — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
North Attleborough Town — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
North Reading — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Northampton — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Northborough — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Northbridge — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Norton — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Norwell — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Norwood — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Oxford — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Palmer Town — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Peabody — No rent control. Massachusetts banned it statewide in 1994; Peabody has not enacted any local ordina
Pembroke — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Pepperell — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Pittsfield — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Plymouth — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Quincy — No rent control. Massachusetts banned it statewide in 1994 and Quincy has not enacted a new ordinanc
Randolph Town — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Raynham — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Reading — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Rehoboth — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Revere — No — Massachusetts banned rent control statewide in 1994. Revere has not enacted any local ordinance
Rockland — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Salem — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Sandwich — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Saugus — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Scituate — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Seekonk — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Sharon — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Shrewsbury — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Somerset — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Somerville — No rent control; Massachusetts state law applies.
South Hadley — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Southborough — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Southbridge Town — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Spencer — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Springfield — No rent control; Massachusetts state law applies.
Stoneham — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Stoughton — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Sudbury — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Swampscott — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Swansea — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Taunton — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Tewksbury — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Tyngsborough — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Uxbridge — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Wakefield — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Walpole — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Waltham — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Ware — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Wareham — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Watertown Town — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Wayland — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Webster — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Wellesley — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
West Springfield Town — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Westborough — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Westfield — No — Massachusetts banned rent control statewide in 1994. Westfield has not enacted any local ordina
Westford — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Weston — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Westport — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Westwood — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Weymouth Town — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Whitman — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Wilbraham — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Wilmington — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Winchendon — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Winchester — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Winthrop Town — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Woburn — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Worcester — No rent control; Massachusetts state law applies.
Wrentham — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.
Yarmouth — No rent control; Massachusetts state protections apply.

Massachusetts Tenant Resources

These organizations offer free or low-cost help to Massachusetts renters:

Greater Boston Legal Services — Free civil legal services for low-income residents of Metro Boston, including housing and eviction defense.
Boston Tenant Coalition — Tenant advocacy organization fighting for renter protections in Boston.
Mass Legal Help – Housing — Plain-language guides to Massachusetts tenant rights, eviction, and security deposit law.
Community Legal Aid — Free legal help for low-income tenants in Central and Western Massachusetts.

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