Across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, thousands of residents elect to rent their homes, while thousands of others serve as landlords. When creating or signing into a rental agreement, there are a number of issues that you, whether a landlord or a tenant, should consider. There are many laws and regulations that govern the relationship between a landlord and a tenant in Massachusetts. These laws apply whether you live in or own a two-family with an apartment or a multi-family apartment building. Some laws outline the landlord's obligations and others set forth what a tenant must do.

In addition to these laws, there are several issues that any prospective tenant should consider before renting an apartment and of which a landlord should be aware before beginning to show an apartment for rent. The following publication, The Attorney General's Guide to Landlord/Tenant Rights, outlines not only rental agreement considerations, but also tenancy, payment agreements, eviction, habitable living conditions, and housing discrimination. It is important for both landlords and tenants to understand the laws and regulations that govern these areas and what they might mean for their particular living arrangement.

For your convenience, we have also created fact sheets summarizing some of the major topic areas covered in the publication above: