06/01/2026
We are approaching the one year anniversary of rental broker fees being “banned” in Massachusetts. That’s what Governor Healey wants everyone to believe. The law that was passed is much more complicated than that though. The law really is that whoever hired the agent pays the fee. A lot of property owners have simply decided not to hire an agent. They are sharing their listings with multiple agents. Does that count as hiring an agent? Owners and some agents don’t think so. Renters are saying “not so fast.” It is a great area and a lot of renters in the Boston area are stuck in the middle. I do think that either Beacon Hill will revisit this law or the courts will decide what constitutes hiring an agent. The fact is that this was a poorly conceived and written law shoved into the budged and rammed through the legislature. Laws should be more black and white than this. Everyone deserves better.