Boston, MA Rental Inspections: Inspection Programs (2026)

3(A) states the program's purpose is to "implement a proactive rental inspection program that maximizes the effectiveness of city resources" by tracking every rental unit continuously and "prioritizing notorious problem properties" for targeted enforcement. Division (H) operationalizes that goal with a points schedule: two points for being placed on the problem-property list; one point for failing to correct an ISD notice of violation of the state Sanitary Code, the Building Code or the Zoning Code within the deadline given; two points for failing to make a good-faith correction of an emergency violation after two inspections; and one point for failing to register or complete required inspections.

Owners cannot be double-counted for the same violation. Table 1 sets the chronic-offender threshold by portfolio size over a rolling 12- or 16-month period: six points in 12 months (or ten in 16) for owners of 1-50 units, ten points (or sixteen) for 51-500 units, and fourteen points (or twenty-four) for 501-plus units. ISD notifies an owner of each point and of chronic-offender status by certified mail, and the owner has 14 days to request a hearing contesting either. Once classified, a chronic offender must request, and ISD must conduct, an inspection of each rental unit every three years rather than five, and owes a $300 fine (or the statutory maximum if higher) for every additional point earned in a rolling 12-month period. The classification lifts once an owner's points fall below two within a rolling 12-month window.