Guides

Massachusetts security deposit guides

What M.G.L. c. 186, §15B actually requires of your landlord, and what to do when those requirements aren't met.

• Massachusetts Security Deposit Law: What Every Renter Should Know

  A plain-English guide to Massachusetts security deposit law under M.G.L. c. 186 §15B: deposit limits, receipts, itemized deductions, interest, and penalties for landlords who get it wrong.

• How to Write a Security Deposit Demand Letter in Massachusetts

  How to write and send a Massachusetts security deposit demand letter: what to include, how to send it by certified mail, and what happens next if your landlord doesn't respond.

• Landlord Didn't Return Your Security Deposit Within 30 Days? What Massachusetts Law Says

  Massachusetts landlords must return your security deposit balance within 30 days of the end of your tenancy. Miss the deadline and M.G.L. c. 186 §15B can expose them to treble damages, court costs, and attorney's fees.

• Treble Damages in Massachusetts Security Deposit Cases: When 3x Applies

  Not every security deposit violation triggers treble damages in Massachusetts. Here's exactly which M.G.L. c. 186 §15B violations can lead to 3x damages, interest, court costs, and attorney's fees, and which can't.

• Normal Wear and Tear vs. Damage: What Massachusetts Landlords Can Deduct

  Massachusetts landlords can't deduct ordinary wear and tear from your security deposit, and the Supreme Judicial Court confirmed it in 2025. Here's where the line falls (cleaning, painting, carpets, nail holes) and the sworn itemized list M.G.L. c. 186 §15B requires.

• Charged for Professional Cleaning in Massachusetts? What Your Lease Can and Cannot Do

  Your Massachusetts lease says return the unit professionally cleaned, and the landlord took it out of your deposit. In Peebles (2025) the Supreme Judicial Court held that kind of clause is void under M.G.L. c. 186 §15B(8). Here is what that means for your charge, and what it does not mean.

• Your Landlord Owes You Interest on Your Security Deposit in Massachusetts

  Massachusetts landlords owe 5% annual interest (or the actual bank rate) on security deposits held a year or more under M.G.L. c. 186 §15B(3)(b). Here's how to calculate what you're owed and how to recover it.

• No Statement of Condition or Bank Receipt? Your Massachusetts Landlord May Have Forfeited Your Deposit

  Massachusetts landlords must escrow your deposit and give you a bank receipt within 30 days, plus a statement of condition within 10 days of move-in. Missing paperwork under M.G.L. c. 186 §15B can forfeit the deposit and trigger treble damages.

• Taking Your Landlord to Small Claims Court in Massachusetts for a Security Deposit

  How to sue your landlord in Massachusetts small claims court over a security deposit: where to file, the Statement of Small Claim form, filing fees, the $7,000 limit, and what to bring to the hearing.

• How We Calculate Your Potential Claim

  Exactly how we turn your answers into a dollar figure under M.G.L. c. 186 §15B: what adds money, what deliberately adds nothing, and the statute and case law behind every step.

This tool provides general legal information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed Massachusetts attorney.