- Office of the Attorney General
Media Contact
Allie Zuliani, Deputy Press Secretary
BOSTON — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell has issued an updated Guide to Landlord and Tenant Rights (“Guide”) to help tenants and landlords understand their legal rights and responsibilities, avoid costly misunderstandings and unnecessary conflicts, and uphold the rights of all Massachusetts residents to live in safe and affordable homes, free from discrimination and environmental hazards. The updated Guide provides additional clarifications and explanations on a range of landlord and tenant issues that the Attorney General’s Office (“AGO”) commonly encounters, including guidance on new housing laws like the eviction sealing and broker fees laws.
“Across Massachusetts, more than a million households rent their homes and tens of thousands of landlords work to provide safe and stable housing to these tenants,” said AG Campbell. “I am proud to release this updated guide to help tenants and landlords have positive, productive experiences and ensure that people’s rights are respected and upheld across the Commonwealth.”
The Guide is intended to help landlords and tenants understand their respective rights and avoid the costs to all parties from unnecessary litigation. It includes a “Top 10” list of things that tenants should look out for before renting, including information about application fees, utility bills, and pets. The Guide also includes basic information about the different types of tenancies, tenant screening, fees, evictions, and more.
The updated Guide also reflects recent developments in the law that housing advocates and community partners have worked to achieve over the past decade. These updates include the new eviction sealing law that allows tenants with an eviction record to petition the court to have those records sealed, giving them a real opportunity for a fresh start. It also discusses the new law concerning broker fees that further protects tenants from having to pay a fee for a broker they did not hire.
The Guide includes several new resources from legal services and community partners including MADE (Massachusetts Defense for Eviction), which helps tenants facing eviction prepare key forms needed to defend against an eviction in court, and UpToCode.org, which is a free online tool to help Massachusetts tenants solve problems with bad conditions in their home. The Guide also links to other housing-related AGO resources such as a Guidance on Unfair and Deceptive Fee Regulations, Guidance on Preventing Housing Discrimination Based on Source of Income, Guide to Manufactured Housing Community Law, and more.
The updated 2025 Guide may be viewed in its entirety here. More information about tenant and landlord rights and responsibilities can be found on the AGO’s website here.
The recent updates to the Guide were handled by the AGO’s Consumer Protection and Advocacy Division, which leads the AGO’s consumer support and response efforts. Residents who believe their consumer rights have been violated may file a consumer complaint with the AGO here.
The updated Guide is AG Campbell’s latest effort to promote safe, affordable housing opportunities across the Commonwealth. Earlier this month, AG Campbell launched a new grant program to support the implementation of Massachusetts’s eviction sealing law. In September, she filed a lawsuit against an investment firm for obstructing access to stable, affordable housing for over 70 manufactured housing units in Taunton. Earlier this fall, she secured a $10 million settlement with a major Springfield landlord for significant housing violations impacting over one thousand tenants.
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