Massachusetts required lease disclosures: three receipts, a bank notice and a signed statement of condition

What can you collect up front?

Section 15B(1)(b) limits what a lessor may require at or before the start of a tenancy: rent for the first full month, rent for the last full month at the same rate, and a security deposit equal to the first month's rent, if the deposit is held as the statute requires and the tenant gets the statement of condition. A regulation-authorized fee in lieu of a deposit must be disclosed in the lease as non-refundable, if it is non-refundable, and the tenant must acknowledge it in writing.

Which receipts must you give?

1. Last month's rent: at the time of payment, a receipt showing the amount, date received, its intended application to the last month, who received it (and for an agent, the lessor's name), a description of the premises, a statement that the tenant is entitled to interest at five percent a year or the lesser amount actually earned at the bank, and a statement that the tenant should provide a forwarding address (subsection 2(a)).
2. Security deposit: at the time of receiving it, a signed receipt showing the amount, the name of the person receiving it, the date, and a description of the premises (2(b)).
3. Bank receipt: within thirty days after the deposit is received, a receipt indicating "the name and location of the bank in which the security deposit has been deposited and the amount and account number of said deposit" (3(a)).

The deposit must be held in a separate, interest-bearing account in a bank located within the commonwealth, beyond the claim of the lessor's creditors. The statute's consequence is blunt: "Failure to comply with this paragraph shall entitle the tenant to immediate return of the security deposit."

Example a made-up Boston owner takes a $2,000 deposit on August 1 and gives the signed receipt that day. The bank receipt with the bank's name, location and account number has to reach the tenant by August 31. If it arrives September 5, the tenant can demand the $2,000 back immediately.

What is the statement of condition?

Section 15B(2)(c): a lessor who accepts a security deposit must, on receipt or within ten days after commencement of the tenancy, whichever is later, give a separate written statement of the present condition of the premises, with "a comprehensive listing of any damage then existing," including violations of the state sanitary or building codes certified by a local board of health or building official or adjudicated by a court. The lessor or agent signs it, and it carries a notice in twelve-point bold-face type at the top of the first page.

The reward for doing it right: the lessor cannot deduct from the deposit for damage listed in that statement, or in a list submitted by the tenant and signed by the lessor, unless the lessor repaired the damage and proves the renewed damage was unrelated and caused by the tenant. Records of the receipts and statements must be kept, per the statute's recordkeeping clause.

What other disclosures should you plan for?

Chapter 111 of the General Laws contains Massachusetts' lead paint law, section 197 among others, which I did not review in full for this post. The federal rule in 42 U.S.C. 4852d also applies to covered older housing: before the lessee is obligated, the lessor provides the EPA pamphlet and discloses known lead-based paint or hazards. Check both before leasing a pre-1978 unit.

How DoorKeeping helps in Massachusetts

DoorKeeping keeps the lease, the move-in report and the deposit details together for each unit, so you can ask Claude or ChatGPT which disclosures a lease is missing before you send it. Anything that goes to a tenant waits for your one-tap approval. 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 and your own lease.

Sources

1. Massachusetts General Laws chapter 186, section 15B, Security deposits, receipts, statement of condition (Massachusetts Legislature), read Oct 30, 2026
2. 42 U.S. Code 4852d, Disclosure of information concerning lead upon transfer of residential property (Cornell Legal Information Institute), read Oct 30, 2026

Questions

When must a Massachusetts landlord give the bank receipt?

Within thirty days after the deposit is received, naming the bank, its location and the account number (c. 186 s. 15B(3)(a)).

What is a statement of condition in Massachusetts?

A separate signed written statement of the unit's present condition, with a comprehensive listing of existing damage, given on receipt of the deposit or within ten days after the tenancy begins, whichever is later.

What if the Massachusetts landlord misses the bank receipt?

The tenant is entitled to the immediate return of the security deposit.