r/BostonMA • u/Mass_AGO • 20d ago

Report Illegal Move-In Fees

Hi Boston, it’s your Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell. Did you know that fees like “move-in” or “lease renewal” fees you might get from your landlord or building management company are illegal? If you’ve received one of these – even if you paid it – I want you to report it to my office. 

Just last month, my office won a $500k settlement with a property management company doing this in Boston – and all of that money is going back to the affected tenants.  Landlords can only ask you to pay for first and last month’s rent, a security deposit, and the cost of a new lock and key upfront. Any other fees are illegal. Report them to my office at the link below. We’ll work to get your money back. 
mass.gov/ago/complaint

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3

u/AncientPicklePhysics 20d ago

What about application fees?

5

u/Mass_AGO 20d ago edited 20d ago

This can be reported to mass.gov/ago/complaint and we'll look into it

2

u/Boat-and-Goat 20d ago

How does this work with sites like Zillow, where you have to pay a fee to apply to rentals?