Security deposit law in Massachusetts

One month's rent. The return rule is 30 days. The controlling text is Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186 § 15B.

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Massachusetts's deposit ceiling

One month's rent.

Massachusetts's return deadline

30 days.

You have 30 days after the tenancy ends to return the deposit with any interest and an itemized statement of damages. Massachusetts pairs the short clock with the strictest procedural rules in the country.

The itemized statement rule

A sworn, itemized statement of damages with supporting evidence is required, and you must have given the tenant a signed statement of condition at move-in. A missing or defective statement of condition undercuts every later deduction.

Account and interest rules

Deposits must be held in a separate, interest-bearing Massachusetts account, and you must give the tenant a receipt naming the bank and account and pay 5% annual interest or the actual rate.

Exposure for wrongful withholding

Treble damages plus interest and fees.

Several violations, including commingling, failing to pay interest, or not returning the deposit within 30 days, expose you to treble damages, three times the deposit, plus interest, costs, and attorney fees. Massachusetts is the state where a paperwork slip most reliably becomes a penalty, so follow every step.

Compare Massachusetts with neighboring states

• New York: one month's rent; return rule: 14 days.
• Connecticut: two months' rent; return rule: 30 days.
• Rhode Island: one month's rent; return rule: 20 days.
• New Hampshire: one month's rent or $100; return rule: 30 days.
• Vermont: no statutory limit; return rule: 14 days.