Tenant Screening in Massachusetts

FCRA-compliant tenant screening for landlords in Massachusetts — serving Boston, Worcester, Springfield, Cambridge, Lowell and every other Massachusetts market. Reports start at $24.99 with no subscription. Massachusetts-specific reporting-law overlays are applied automatically before the landlord sees any record.

What landlords in Massachusetts can include in a screening report

• Credit report and score — TransUnion VantageScore plus tradeline detail.
• Criminal background — nationwide criminal record search with Massachusetts-specific look-back limits applied.
• Housing records — sealed, dismissed, and time-barred housing-court records filtered before they reach you.
• Income verification — optional payroll + bank-link verification via Pinwheel.
• AI landlord reference call — optional AI agent calls the applicant’s prior landlord and produces a structured summary.

Housing records reporting in Massachusetts

Massachusetts requires sealed housing records be excluded from consumer reports under the Housing Court sealing statute (M.G.L. c. 239, § 14).

Statutory citation: M.G.L. c. 239 § 14

How reporting limits interact with what you may lawfully consider is covered in what landlords can screen for and the investigative consumer report explainer.

Criminal-record reporting in Massachusetts

Massachusetts CORI Reform Act restricts criminal-record reporting; non-conviction items have shorter limits.

Fair housing in Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Fair Housing Act, M.G.L. c. 151B applies in addition to the federal Fair Housing Act. Source of income is a protected class statewide in Massachusetts — landlords may not refuse to consider an applicant solely because they intend to pay with a housing-choice voucher or similar lawful source.

Notable Massachusetts considerations

Source of income (including Section 8 vouchers) is a protected class statewide.

What Massachusetts law limits when you screen and rent

These are the statutory limits most likely to affect a Massachusetts landlord at the application stage, compiled from state statutes and reviewed August 2026. Where a limit could not be tied to a specific statute it is left out rather than estimated. Statutes change and local ordinances often add limits your state does not — this is a starting point for your own check, not legal advice, and not a substitute for counsel licensed in Massachusetts.

Rental application / screening fee

Massachusetts effectively bars rental application and screening fees: a landlord may collect only first month's rent, last month's rent, a security deposit, and the cost of a new lock and key. Citation: Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186, § 15B(1)(b)

Security deposit limit

Massachusetts caps a residential security deposit at one month's rent. Citation: Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186, § 15B(1)(b)(iii)

Criminal history (fair-chance housing)

Massachusetts has no statewide fair-chance housing law; Boston's Fair Chance Ordinance reaches only city-assisted and inclusionary units. Citation: No Massachusetts statute; Boston Fair Chance Ordinance (city-assisted/inclusionary housing)

Local ordinances frequently add limits your state statute does not — check your city and county before you set an application fee or a deposit.

How RentalApplication.ai works for Massachusetts landlords

1. You start a screening at rentalapplication.ai/apply. Enter the applicant’s name and email; pick the reports you want.
2. The applicant gets an email with a secure link, completes the application, and authorizes the screening (FCRA § 1681b(b)(2)).
3. The applicant pays at the moment of submission (or you can land-lord-pay).
4. Reports are delivered to you in minutes (credit) to a few hours (housing/criminal). State-law overlays are applied before the landlord sees any record.
5. If you decline based on the report, we generate the FCRA § 1681m adverse-action notice for you.

This page is an informational summary, not legal advice. State and local landlord-tenant law changes frequently — verify against current statute and local counsel before relying on this content. RentalApplication.ai is a reseller of consumer reports under FCRA § 1681a(u) and does not make tenancy decisions. The landlord (the “end user”) is the party who decides whether to approve or deny an application.