The Massachusetts standard one (1) year residential lease agreement is a one (1) year rental contract between and a landlord and a tenant that can be used for most leasing arrangements regarding residential property. The landlord or their agent should screen potential lessees with a rental application before selecting their candidate and placing the lease into effect. Upon approving the tenant, a security deposit is usually charged (up to one (1) month’s rent) and the agreement is signed making it legally…

The Massachusetts month-to-month lease, “tenancy at will,” is a rental contract between a landlord and tenant that has no specific end date. The contract is renewed with each of the tenant’s monthly payments. Even though the agreement is renewed only by the tenant’s payments, both parties must give the other individual a written notice before terminating the lease. If the tenant breaks their lease, the landlord must follow the same eviction process as a standard rental contract. It is advised…

The Massachusetts rental application can be used by landlords to check and verify the credentials of commercial and residential tenants before signing a binding rental contract. There may be a non-refundable fee associated with the application depending upon the property manager/owner. After the review has been made, the landlord will have to decide whether to accept the tenant and how much to charge for their security deposit (if any). Laws – Mass. General Laws c.276 § 100A Application Fee – A landlord…

The Massachusetts fourteen (14) day notice to quit is a form handed to a tenant who has not paid rent when it is due. The landlord is qualified to hand this form out on the first (1st) day rent that the tenant’s rent is late. However, a late fee may not be imposed until it is at least thirty (30) days’ late. The tenant, upon receiving the letter, will have ten (10) days to pay back the landlord or face…

A Massachusetts commercial lease agreement is for landlords of retail, office, or industrial property to bind a business tenant to a rental contract (usually one (1) to five (5) years in duration). The landlord will typically prepare the space to the tenant’s specifications. Therefore, a long-term arrangement with a background check (through a rental application) is advised. For more information, read the online Commercial Leasing Basics guide provided by State government. There are three main ways to structure this type…

The Massachusetts sublease agreement allows for a tenant (the “sublessor”) to rent out space that they currently have under lease to another individual (the “sublessee”). This arrangement may be for the partial or total rental of the space. The sublessor should understand that they will be responsible for any sublessee that does not follow the rules of the lease. Examples of this are damage to the premises or the non-payment of rent by the sublessee. For these reasons, it is…