Sources checked:
Quick answer. Massachusetts: deposit capped at 1 month of rent; deposit returned within 30 days; 30-day notice to end month-to-month; 14-day notice for unpaid rent; $7,000 small claims limit. 23 of 23 items are confirmed on official pages; none are open.
Key numbers
- Deposit limit
- 1 month's rent
- Deposit back within
- 30 days
- Month-to-month notice (landlord)
- 30 days
- Unpaid rent notice
- 14 days
- Entry notice
- See the rule
- Filing fee
- Varies by county
- Time to answer or appear
- 7 days
- Judgment to writ
- 10 days
- Writ to lockout
- 2 court days
- Small claims limit
- $7,000
Security deposit (6 of 6 confirmed)
Law read: M.G.L. c. 186, s. 15B.
Need the other side served? Process serving with an affidavit of service.
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ConfirmedDeposit limit
A security deposit equal to no more than the first month's rent (s. 15B(1)(b)).
Source: Massachusetts Legislature: General Laws c. 186, s. 15B, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedReturn deadline
Within 30 days after the end of occupancy: the deposit with interest, less any deductions, with a sworn itemized list of damages (s. 15B(4)).
Source: Massachusetts Legislature: General Laws c. 186, s. 15B, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedItemized list of deductions
An itemized list of damages sworn under the pains and penalties of perjury, with written evidence of the repair cost (s. 15B(4)(iii)).
Source: Massachusetts Legislature: General Laws c. 186, s. 15B, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedInterest on the deposit
5% a year, or the lower rate the bank actually paid, paid at the end of each year of the tenancy (s. 15B(3)(b)).
Source: Massachusetts Legislature: General Laws c. 186, s. 15B, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedWhere the deposit is held
In a separate, interest-bearing account in a bank in Massachusetts; a receipt within 30 days naming the bank, its address, the account number and the amount (s. 15B(3)(a)).
Source: Massachusetts Legislature: General Laws c. 186, s. 15B, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedPenalty the law states
Three times the deposit, plus interest, costs and attorney fees, for the failures listed in s. 15B(7).
Source: Massachusetts Legislature: General Laws c. 186, s. 15B, checked November 2026
More: Security deposit rules by state · Deposit return deadline calculator
Notice periods (6 of 6 confirmed)
What the official text says about each notice. Cities and counties can add their own notice, just-cause or rent rules. Check local rules too.
| Notice | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ending month-to-month (landlord) | Written notice by either side. With rent due monthly, the longer of 30 days or the interval between rent days, ending before the due date of a rent payment. | Sources: Massachusetts Legislature: M.G.L. c. 186, s. 12; Massachusetts Attorney General: Guide to landlord and tenant rights, checked November 2026 (M.G.L. c. 186, s. 12) |
| Ending month-to-month (tenant) | Written notice by either side. With rent due monthly, the longer of 30 days or the interval between rent days, ending before the due date of a rent payment. | Sources: Massachusetts Legislature: M.G.L. c. 186, s. 12; Massachusetts Attorney General: Guide to landlord and tenant rights, checked November 2026 (M.G.L. c. 186, s. 12) |
| Rent increase notice | For a tenancy at will, rent can change with notice on the same terms as ending the tenancy. | Source: Massachusetts Attorney General: Guide to landlord and tenant rights, checked November 2026 |
| Unpaid rent notice | 14 days' written notice to quit. A tenant may pay all rent due, with interest and costs, on or before the day the answer is due. | Source: Massachusetts Legislature: M.G.L. c. 186, s. 11, checked November 2026 (M.G.L. c. 186, s. 11) |
| Entry notice | The landlord arranges entry with the tenant in advance (to repair, inspect or show); no set number of hours. Emergencies and apparent abandonment are exceptions. | Source: Massachusetts Attorney General: Guide to landlord and tenant rights, checked November 2026 |
| Late fee limits | A lease can't require a late fee for rent less than 30 days late. | Source: Massachusetts Attorney General: Guide to landlord and tenant rights, checked November 2026 |
More: Notice periods by state · Notice date calculator
Eviction case, in order (10 of 10 confirmed)
- Notice before filing The written notice comes first; its length is in the notice table above.
Unpaid rent: 14 days' written notice to quit. A tenant may pay all rent due, with interest and costs, on or before the day the answer is due.
- Filing the case Where the case goes and what it costs to start.
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ConfirmedCourt
A District Court or Housing Court; a tenant can ask to move a case to Housing Court.
a District Court or Housing Court
Source: Mass.gov: Tenants' guide to eviction, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedFiling fee
Depends on the court: $180 in a District Court or the Boston Municipal Court, $120 in Housing Court, plus a $15 surcharge and $5 for the summons.
Filing for eviction (District Court/BMC) | $180 | each.
Source: Mass.gov: File an eviction case, checked November 2026
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- The tenant's answer or appearance
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ConfirmedTime to answer or appear
The written answer is due on or before the first Monday after the Monday entry date in the summons (counted here from filing on the entry date).
on or before the first Monday after the Monday entry date stated in the summons and complaint.
Source: Mass.gov: File an eviction case, checked November 2026
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- Hearing or trial
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ConfirmedHearing after filing
In the Housing Court, the clerk schedules the first court event 30 to 60 days after the case is entered; if the case isn't resolved there, trial is set about 2 weeks later (Standing Order 1-23, in effect until further order). The District Court and Boston Municipal Court have their own standing orders.
no sooner than thirty days, but no later than sixty days, after the case is entered
Source: Massachusetts Housing Court: Interim Standing Order 1-23, Summary process (effective June 5, 2023), checked November 2026
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- Judgment and the writ The order that lets the officer act.
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ConfirmedJudgment to writ
After judgment the tenant has 10 days to appeal; then the judge gives the execution to the landlord.
You will have 10 days to appeal the decision
Source: Mass.gov: Tenants' guide to eviction, checked November 2026
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- Lockout Carried out by an officer, not by either side.
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ConfirmedWrit to lockout
The sheriff or constable gives written notice 2 days (not counting weekends or holidays) before removal; moves happen weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
2 days (not including weekends or holidays)
Source: Mass.gov: Tenants' guide to eviction, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedWho carries out the lockout
The landlord hires a sheriff or constable to serve the execution and carry out the move.
Hire a sheriff or constable to deliver it to the tenant
Source: Mass.gov: Tenants' guide to eviction, checked November 2026
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- Along the way Paying to stop the case, counsel and diversion programs.
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ConfirmedPaying to stop the case
A tenant with a lease can stop a nonpayment case by paying all the rent owed, with interest and costs, by the day the answer is due. A tenant at will can cure only within 10 days of getting the notice to quit, and only if they haven't had a nonpayment notice to quit in the last 12 months.
all the rent you owe with interest and costs
Source: Mass.gov: Respond to an eviction against you, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedRight to counsel (statewide)
No statewide right to counsel for tenants in eviction cases (as of November 2026, per the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel): its tracker of enacted laws lists no statewide law here.
An eviction right to counsel is created by an enacted law that, at a minimum:
Source: National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel (secondary source): National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel: Enacted Eviction Right to Counsel and Eviction Defense Programs (last modified November 2026), checked November 2026
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ConfirmedDiversion or mediation (statewide)
Statewide RAFT rental assistance (a pending application blocks eviction) and free pre-court community mediation.
you can't be evicted if you have a pending RAFT application
Source: Mass.gov: Tenants' guide to eviction, checked November 2026
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Uniform Summary Process Rule 2 puts cases on the second Thursday after the Monday entry date, but provisions inconsistent with the courts' standing orders have been suspended since 2021; the hearing range here is the Housing Court's Standing Order 1-23.
Example: a case filed Monday, March 1, 2027
The earliest date of each stage the confirmed rules allow, from our eviction timeline estimator. Earliest under the statute; courts' calendars often take longer.
| Stage | Earliest date |
|---|---|
| Case filed | Monday, March 1, 2027 |
| Answer due (if served the day of filing) | Monday, March 8, 2027 |
| Hearing or trial | Wednesday, March 31, 2027 |
| Judgment | Wednesday, March 31, 2027 |
| Writ or warrant of possession | Saturday, April 10, 2027 |
| Earliest lockout | Tuesday, April 13, 2027 |
Help the official pages name: The Legal Resource Finder, which connects to legal aid programs and Massachusetts Community Mediation Centers, free pre-court mediation.
More: Massachusetts eviction process · Eviction timeline estimator
Deposit disputes: small claims
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ConfirmedSmall claims limit (for a deposit dispute)
$7,000: the most a small claims case can ask for.
Not more than $7,000 unless the claim is for property damage from a car accident. Some consumer protection and landlord-tenant claims may carry statutory damages above $7,000.
Filing fee to start a case: $40 to $150.
Source: Mass.gov: File a small claim in the Boston Municipal Court, District Court, or Housing Court, checked November 2026
More: Massachusetts small claims court
Massachusetts kit
Massachusetts Landlord Compliance Kit
This page as a printable checklist with every source link and check date, a move-in and move-out deposit checklist with the Massachusetts return deadline, a notice calendar, an eviction timeline sheet, and an Excel workbook with a tenant notice log, a deposit tracker that works out the return date, and a rent ledger.
General information, not legal advice. We are not lawyers, and MCC Solutions is not a law firm. The same rules apply whichever side of the lease you are on; this page describes them and doesn't take a side. Rules change, cities and counties can add their own, a lease can add terms, and the official source has the final word.
Common questions
How much can a security deposit be in Massachusetts?
A security deposit equal to no more than the first month's rent (s. 15B(1)(b)).
How long does a Massachusetts landlord have to return a deposit?
Within 30 days after the end of occupancy: the deposit with interest, less any deductions, with a sworn itemized list of damages (s. 15B(4)). What goes with it: An itemized list of damages sworn under the pains and penalties of perjury, with written evidence of the repair cost (s. 15B(4)(iii)).
How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in Massachusetts?
From the landlord: Written notice by either side. With rent due monthly, the longer of 30 days or the interval between rent days, ending before the due date of a rent payment. From the tenant: Written notice by either side. With rent due monthly, the longer of 30 days or the interval between rent days, ending before the due date of a rent payment.
What notice comes before an unpaid-rent case in Massachusetts?
14 days' written notice to quit. A tenant may pay all rent due, with interest and costs, on or before the day the answer is due.
How much notice before a landlord enters a rental in Massachusetts?
The landlord arranges entry with the tenant in advance (to repair, inspect or show); no set number of hours. Emergencies and apparent abandonment are exceptions.
How long does an eviction case take in Massachusetts?
Time to answer or appear: 7 days. Hearing after filing: 30 to 60 days. Judgment to writ: 10 days. Writ to lockout: 2 court days. These are the stated rules; the court's calendar often takes longer.
What does it cost to file an eviction case in Massachusetts?
Depends on the court: $180 in a District Court or the Boston Municipal Court, $120 in Housing Court, plus a $15 surcharge and $5 for the summons.
Related: Landlord rules by state · Kits for landlords