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.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Lowell, MA
Lowell Code Section 204-4C(1)-(4) declares unlawful any unnecessary motor noise (backfiring, racing, tire-screeching), improper horn/signaling-device use, di...
Lowell, MA
Lowell Code Section 204-3 sets a full district-by-time dBA table (residential 40-50 dB(A), industrial up to 70 dB(A) daytime), measured at the property bound...
Lowell, MA
Lowell restricts gas-powered leaf blower use to daytime hours; no outright ban exists, but decibel and hour limits apply under the general noise ordinance.
Lowell, MA
Outdoor music at restaurants, breweries, and event venues in Lowell requires an entertainment license and must end by 10 p.m. in residential zones.
Lowell, MA
Lowell Code Chapter 204, Section 204-3 sets district-based dBA limits keyed to time of day. In single- and two-family residential districts the limit drops t...
Lowell, MA
Lowell Code Section 204-4C(12) makes it unlawful to operate any radio, stereo, loudspeaker, instrument or other sound-reproducing device so as to disturb a r...
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