Massachusetts Rental Application
Fill out a Massachusetts rental application below and download a print-ready PDF — identity, rental history, employment, references and screening consent. Free, no signup.
Maintained by the SealForms editorial team · Every state-specific figure on this page is cited to its statute or official agency page · Dataset last verified July 2026 · Not legal advice.
Massachusetts application-fee rule · as of July 2026
Application fees are banned
M.G.L. c.186 §15B — Landlords may only collect first month, last month, security deposit and lock/key cost — no application fees.
Source: Massachusetts AG advisory ↗. Laws change — confirm the current rule before you rely on it.
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Know your Massachusetts rules
Application-fee rules come from state law, not the form: in Massachusetts, application fees are banned (M.G.L. c.186 §15B). Cities can add their own caps. Check the currentMassachusetts screening rules before charging or paying a fee.
Frequently asked questions
How much can a landlord charge for a rental application in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts bans rental application fees (M.G.L. c.186 §15B). Landlords may only collect first month, last month, security deposit and lock/key cost — no application fees. Source: Massachusetts AG advisory.
Is the application a lease?
No. The application only collects information for screening. If approved, landlord and tenant then sign a lease — see our Massachusetts lease agreement template, which reflects Massachusetts's deposit and notice rules.
How does Massachusetts compare? See application-fee limits in all 50 states, every rule cited to statute.
How Massachusetts compares
Computed from our 51-jurisdiction dataset (as of July 2026). Source for Massachusetts: Massachusetts AG advisory ↗.
- Massachusetts is one of 4 of 51 jurisdictions that ban application fees outright (33 set no statutory limit on application fees; 8 cap the application fee by statute; 6 limit the fee to the landlord's actual screening cost).
The rest of what Massachusetts requires
The figures below are Massachusetts's, not national averages — each one is the value we verified for this state, with the statute it comes from. Follow a row to the full Massachusetts page for that document.
- Security deposit cap· as of 2026
- 1 month's rentMass. Gen. Laws ch. 186 §15B ↗
- Deposit return deadline· as of 2026
- 30 days after move-outMass. Gen. Laws ch. 186 §15B ↗
- Notice to end a month-to-month tenancy· as of 2026
- 30 daysMass. Gen. Laws ch. 186 §15B ↗
- Notice for unpaid rent· as of 2026
- 14 days to pay or quitM.G.L. c. 186, §§ 11, 11A, 12 ↗
- Where you file· as of 2026
- Small Claims sessions of the District Court, Boston Municipal Court, and Housing Court · filing fee Tiered with surcharge: $40 (claims to $500), $45 ($501-$2,000), $50 ($2,001-$5,000), $150 ($5,001-$7,000) — mass.gov confirms the $40-$150 range.Mass. Gen. Laws c. 218 § 21; Uniform Small Claims Rules ↗
- Bill of sale notarization· as of 2026
- Not requiredMassachusetts RMV / DMV.ORG ↗
- Power of attorney signing· as of 2026
- Notarization recommendedMass. Gen. Laws ch. 190B §5-501/§5-502 ↗
- LLC operating agreement· as of 2026
- Not required by statute, but it controls over the default rulesM.G.L. ch. 156C, § 2(9) ↗
- Recording a deed· as of 2026
- Registry of Deeds (county/district; registered (Torrens) land goes through the Land Court registry districts) · no witnessesG.L. c. 183, § 29 ↗
Rental application in other states
More Massachusetts legal forms
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