Rent control rules in Brookline, MA — also known as rent stabilization or rent cap ordinances — limit annual rent increases and protect tenants from displacement.
Norfolk County does not regulate rents. Massachusetts banned local rent control statewide via 1994 Question 9 (MGL c. 40P). No Norfolk County town currently has rent control. Tenant protections remain under MGL c. 186 and c. 239.
Rent control is prohibited statewide in Massachusetts under MGL c. 40P (Massachusetts Rent Control Prohibition Act), enacted by voters in 1994 (Question 9). No city or town in Norfolk County can impose rent control without state legislative action. Proposed state legislation to allow local rent stabilization (various bills 2019-2024) has not passed. Landlords may raise rent at lease end with 30-day notice for tenancies at will (MGL c. 186 §12) or per lease terms. Tenant protections still apply: security deposit rules (MGL c. 186 §15B; capped at 1 month), habitability under the State Sanitary Code (105 CMR 410), just-cause termination procedures (MGL c. 239), and MA Anti-Discrimination Law (MGL c. 151B). Retaliatory rent increases after tenant complaints are prohibited under MGL c. 186 §18.
No rent control to violate. Improper notice of increase: tenancy continues at prior rent. Retaliation under MGL c. 186 §18: up to 3 months rent damages. Deposit violations: treble damages plus fees under §15B.
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