Massachusetts has no rent-increase statute by name, but a landlord cannot raise rent on a tenant at will (month-to-month) without first terminating the existing tenancy by proper notice. That notice must equal one full rental period or 30 days, whichever is longer, and the tenant must agree to the new rent.
There is no dedicated rent-increase statute in Massachusetts. For a tenancy at will, rent can only be increased after the existing tenancy is terminated under M.G.L. c. 186 § 12: if rent is "payable at periods of less than three months, the time of such notice shall be sufficient if it is equal to the interval between the days of payment or thirty days, whichever is longer." A landlord typically serves a notice to quit that may include an offer of a new tenancy at a higher rent; the statute says inclusion of such an offer does not invalidate the notice. There is no legally enforceable increase unless the tenant agrees to it. Statewide rent control has been prohibited since 1994.
No specific statutory penalty for an improper rent-increase notice; an increase imposed without a valid termination notice and tenant agreement is unenforceable, and the tenant may contest it in court.
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