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MA · Tier 3 — verification pending

Massachusetts residential lease decoder

Plain-English per-clause-type enforceability for Massachusetts residential leases. Each rule below pins to the Massachusetts state-legislature citation when verified, or to a "pending verification" placeholder when it isn't — never a guess.

2 of 12 clause types primary-source verified. Verify directly at the Massachusetts legislature

Analyzer · residential lease

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Paste a clause excerpt — your text never leaves the browser. Or pick a clause type to read its 50-state enforceability grid.

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Clause by clause

Clause-by-clause rules

12 most-litigated residential lease clauses. Verified rules lead; the rest are honestly labeled pending verification, each linked to the state legislature.

  1. late-fee-caps

    Late-fee schedule

    State-restricted

    No late fee or interest may be charged until rent is at least 30 days overdue.

    Source · Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186, §15B(1)(c) · primary source · last verified 2026-05-08

  2. security-deposit

    Security-deposit caps and return timelines

    State-restricted

    Security deposit capped at 1 month's rent. Strict statutory requirements: separate interest-bearing account, written receipt, statement of condition, 30-day return — failure can trigger 3× damages and attorney fees.

    Source · Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186, §15B · primary source · last verified 2026-05-08

10 clause types pending verification for Massachusetts

  • Pet fees, pet rent, pet deposits

    Pending verification

    General doctrine across states: State security-deposit-cap statutes plus federal FHA accommodations (42 U.S.C. §3604) for assistance animals.

  • Automatic renewal of the lease

    Pending verification

    General doctrine across states: State-statute auto-renewal restrictions; consumer-protection auto-renewal disclosure requirements (where they apply to leases).

  • Attorney-fee-shifting clause

    Pending verification

    General doctrine across states: Attorney-fee-reciprocity statutes (e.g., Cal. Civ. Code §1717); American Rule background.

  • Repair-obligation shifting

    Pending verification

    General doctrine across states: Implied warranty of habitability (Javins v. First National Realty, 1970) — recognized by statute or common law in nearly every state.

  • Habitability waiver

    Pending verification

    General doctrine across states: Implied warranty of habitability (cannot be waived); state housing-code violations.

  • Mandatory arbitration / jury-trial waiver

    Pending verification

    General doctrine across states: Federal Arbitration Act (9 U.S.C. §1-16); state-specific lease arbitration disclosure rules; unconscionability defense.

  • Non-disclosure / non-disparagement

    Pending verification

    General doctrine across states: Consumer Review Fairness Act (15 U.S.C. §45b); state anti-SLAPP and anti-gag statutes.

  • Pay-or-quit / eviction notice timing

    Pending verification

    General doctrine across states: State summary-eviction statutes; due-process notice requirements.

  • Sublease and assignment

    Pending verification

    General doctrine across states: Reasonable-consent default rule (jurisdiction-dependent); restraint-on-alienation doctrine.

  • Holdover-tenant rent multiplier

    Pending verification

    General doctrine across states: Holdover tenancy doctrine; liquidated-damages reasonableness; state-specific holdover-rent statutes.

Not legal advice. LeaseRedFlag is informational only. We are not a law firm; we don't represent you. State landlord-tenant law evolves annually — verify any rule directly with the Massachusetts legislature link above before relying on it. For lease disputes that matter, talk to a licensed real-property or tenant-rights attorney in Massachusetts.