Tenant’s Rights Regarding Broker Fees

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/howto/file-a-consumer-complaint 

Flyer in English attached below. Flyers translated into Vietnamese, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Russian, Portuguese, Khmer, Haitian Creole, and Arabic have been added to this Google folder: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1tOPcm8PVNhp1q0yV_jh3MIOCUMkVzAZw?usp=sharing