Massachusetts rental application fees: the four-item list and why a screening fee is missing

What may you require before move-in?

Clause (b) says that at or prior to the commencement of any tenancy, no lessor may require a tenant or prospective tenant to pay any amount in excess of four items. The version effective August 1, 2025 also names an agent of the lessor, and covers payments made to the lessor or the agent. The four items are:

1. Rent for the first full month of occupancy.
2. Rent for the last full month of occupancy, calculated at the same rate as the first month.
3. A security deposit equal to the first month's rent, held as the section requires and with the statement of condition given.
4. The purchase and installation cost of a key and lock.

A screening or application charge fits none of these. That is why a Massachusetts landlord asks for no application fee, and why the fee has to be absorbed as a cost of doing business.

What is the fee in lieu of a deposit?

The 2025 text also allows state regulations authorizing an optional fee in place of a security deposit. If regulations are issued, the fee must be disclosed in the lease, may be entirely or partly nonrefundable with the tenant's written acknowledgment, must be optional for both sides, must be offered to every approved applicant regardless of income, race, gender, disability, immigration status, household size or credit score, and the total of any fee and deposit cannot exceed one month's rent. That is a substitute for a deposit and is not an application fee.

Related money rules

Last month's rent paid in advance brings its own duties. The receipt must show the amount, date, intended use, who received it and that the tenant is entitled to interest at five percent a year or a lesser amount actually received from the bank. Failure to pay interest within thirty days after the tenancy ends can bring damages of three times the interest, with costs and attorney's fees. These sit in subsection (2) and the sections after it, and they apply to money you may lawfully collect, not to a screening charge.

What this post does not cover

I read the section 15B text on the Massachusetts Legislature's site. I did not read any other chapter, so a rule about consumer reports or screening in a different part of the General Laws is outside this post. Federal law on consumer reports applies in every state.

Example a made-up Boston landlord rents a $2,000 unit. At lease signing the landlord may require $2,000 first month, $2,000 last month, a $2,000 deposit and a lock and key charge, for $6,000 plus the lock and key. A $50 application fee on top would go beyond the four-item list.

How DoorKeeping fits

For a Massachusetts unit, DoorKeeping's application link has no fee field. Screening there is landlord-paid only. The pre-move-in checklist lists just the four allowed items, so an extra line cannot slip in. Tenants never pay a fee to DoorKeeping. Screening is passed through at cost. DoorKeeping never holds your money and sends a payment only when you approve it. This is general information, not legal advice. Check the current statute or ask a local attorney before you rely on it.

Sources

1. Massachusetts General Laws chapter 186, section 15B (Massachusetts Legislature), read Oct 30, 2026

Questions

Can a Massachusetts landlord charge an application fee?

Section 15B(1)(b) limits what may be required at or before the start of a tenancy to first month, last month, a security deposit equal to the first month and a key and lock cost. An application fee is not on that list.

Can a Massachusetts landlord charge a screening fee?

The same list applies, and a screening charge fits none of its four items.

What is a fee in lieu of a deposit?

An optional arrangement, authorized only through state regulations, where a recurring or other fee replaces part of a deposit, capped at one month's rent in total with the deposit.