Boston Apartment Rentals | Blog

As a part of our “Renter’s Rights” series, we’re taking a good hard look at what exactly the rights are for tenants in Boston.  This list is a compilation of some noteworthy renters’ rights picked from the city of Boston’s Good Neighbors Handbook: A Guide for Boston Landlords and Tenants.

1. Rent late fees- A landlord may only collect a late fee from a tenant if there is a late payment penalty clause in the lease.  Check your lease if you’re planning on paying late!
2. Locking out a tenant- If a landlord locks a tenant out of his/her apartment, moves the tenant’s possessions out of the apartment, or interferes with the unit at all without a court order, the landlord can be fined up to $300 or be put in prison for up to 6 months.
3. Eviction- A tenant cannot be evicted for doing any of the following: joining or organizing a tenants’ group, legally withholding rent, deducting money from rent payments to prevent the shut-off of landlord paid utilities, deducting the cost of repairs the landlord has failed to make from rent payments.
4. What every unit must have- There are a few things every unit must have: a working stove and oven, screens on every window below the 5th floor, and locks on every window and entry/exit doors.  A landlord is not required to provide refrigerators, blinds, shades, or laundry facilities.  Of course if they do provide these things, they are required to keep them maintained.
5. Snow-   Thankfully it is not yet the season for snow, but when it comes, you should know that it is the landlord’s responsibility to remove snow from the sidewalks, entryways, and exit areas from the building.  The landlord is not required to remove snow from the driveways.  If only I had known this a couple of years ago when I was sliding down icy steps!

Know any interesting or noteworthy renter’s rights?

Photo courtesy of Vladislav Bezrukov

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