Massachusetts Rent Late Fees: What the Statute Says
This page is about residential rent under Massachusetts's landlord–tenant law. Charging a late fee on an unpaid business invoice? That is a different body of law: use the Massachusetts late fee calculator for B2B invoices.
Massachusetts sets a waiting period, not a fee amount: under M.G.L. c. 186, § 15B(1)(c), no lease or other rental agreement may impose any interest or penalty for failure to pay rent until thirty days after the rent was due. Subsection (1)(c) does not set a maximum amount or a percentage.
Massachusetts rent late fee rule at a glance
- When a fee may first be charged
- Not until thirty days after the rent was due. The statute bars any lease or other rental agreement from imposing interest or a penalty for failure to pay rent before then.
- Maximum amount
- Not set in the quoted text. Subsection (1)(c) is a timing rule only; it names no dollar amount or percentage.
- What the fee is calculated on
- Not set in the quoted text.
- Lease and notice conditions
- The rule applies to any "lease or other rental agreement". The quoted text sets no separate notice requirement. It speaks of "any interest or penalty for failure to pay rent" and does not use the words "late fee".
- Statute
- Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186, § 15B(1)(c) (Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 186, section 15B)
- Verified
- , against the official source
Each line above restates only what the statute text quoted below says. Where the text is silent, we say so rather than fill the gap.
What the Massachusetts statute says
(c) No lease or other rental agreement shall impose any interest or penalty for failure to pay rent until thirty days after such rent shall have been due.
Quoted verbatim from the linked official source, not paraphrased. How we source and re-check legal text is described in our data methodology.
When can interest or a penalty first be imposed?
The date is the due date plus 30 days, counted by calendar day. Example: for rent due on October 1, 2026, 30 days after the due date is October 31, 2026. The statute bars any interest or penalty for failure to pay rent until then; it sets no amount.
The Attorney General's regulation repeats the 30-day rule
The Massachusetts Attorney General's consumer-protection regulations contain a parallel rule. Under 940 CMR 3.17(6)(a), in the "Miscellaneous" part of the landlord–tenant section, it is "an unfair and deceptive practice for an owner to" impose "any interest or penalty for late payment" of rent "unless such payment is 30 days overdue".
Section 940 CMR 3.17(3)(a)3 also lists as unfair or deceptive a rental-agreement term that "Contains a penalty clause not in conformity with the provisions of M.G.L. c. 186, § 15B".
Source: 940 CMR 3.00 (Office of the Attorney General, PDF on mass.gov) · checked .
What this page does and does not cover
- It covers the state statute only (Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186, § 15B(1)(c)). It does not cover city or county ordinances or any other rules that may also apply to a tenancy.
- It covers residential rent. Late fees on invoices between businesses fall under Massachusetts's commercial interest law: see the Massachusetts B2B late fee calculator and the B2B vs. rent explainer.
- It states only what the quoted text says. Read the full section at the official link, or ask a licensed attorney in Massachusetts, before relying on it.
Massachusetts rent late fee FAQ
How long does a Massachusetts landlord have to wait before charging a late fee on rent?
Thirty days. M.G.L. c. 186, § 15B(1)(c) says: "No lease or other rental agreement shall impose any interest or penalty for failure to pay rent until thirty days after such rent shall have been due." For rent due on October 1, thirty days after the due date is October 31.
Is there a maximum rent late fee in Massachusetts?
Section 15B(1)(c) does not set one. The quoted subsection is a timing rule: it says when interest or a penalty may first be imposed (thirty days after the rent was due), not how much.
Does the 30-day rule appear anywhere besides the statute?
Yes. The Attorney General's regulation 940 CMR 3.17(6)(a) lists as an unfair and deceptive practice imposing "any interest or penalty for late payment" of rent "unless such payment is 30 days overdue".
Does a lease clause change the 30-day rule?
The statute's wording covers the lease itself: "No lease or other rental agreement shall impose any interest or penalty for failure to pay rent until thirty days after such rent shall have been due."
Does this page cover business invoices in Massachusetts?
No. This page covers residential rent under Massachusetts's landlord–tenant statute. Late fees and interest on invoices between businesses are governed by different law, covered on our Massachusetts late fee calculator page for B2B invoices. Massachusetts late fee calculator (B2B invoices) →
Not legal advice. This page quotes Massachusetts's statute for general information. The verification date shows when we last confirmed the text at the official source, not that it is still current today. Statutes change and courts interpret them.