u/aloegermain

I thought this was old news, but have found multiple brokers recently trying to charge various fees still despite the new law. Please, please, please, even if you really like a place and it seems like a good deal, don't pay their fees and report them! Reporting brokers who are charging fees protects all of us.

Starting August 1, 2025, a new law makes clear that landlords cannot require tenants to pay broker fees in Massachusetts.

Under the new law:

• Tenants only have to pay a broker fee if they hired the broker before the broker started working with the landlord.
• Landlords and brokers working for landlords can't make you pay fees like application, background or credit check fees when you apply for an apartment.
• Either a landlord or tenant can hire a broker. Tenants should check if the broker works for the landlord before agreeing to pay any fees to the broker.

File a complaint:

• Renters can report any fee violations to the Attorney General's Consumer Advocacy and Response Division:
  • Consumer Hotline: (617)727-8400
  • Visit: www.mass.gov/how-to/file-a-consumer-complaint

Note: I'm not a lawyer, just a concerned renter. The above information is from the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute and Greater Boston Legal Services. Download their flyer in other languages here: https://www.masslegalhelp.org/housing-apartments-shelter/tenants-rights/broker-fees-and-tenants-rights

FAQs and more info here: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/frequently-asked-questions-about-residential-rental-brokers-fees

A whole exhibit of patterns - Jürgen Mayer H.: Wirrwarr: https://www.artic.edu/exhibitions/3266/jurgen-mayer-h-wirrwarr

There’s also a BOOK! https://search.worldcat.org/title/1465173408?oclcNum=1465173408