Massachusetts Law Prohibits Landlords From Penalizing Tenants For Reasonable Wear And Tear

🏠 Tenant Rights: What Landlords Can’t Charge For

In Massachusetts, landlords cannot deduct from a tenant’s security deposit for reasonable wear and tear. This is protected under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 186, Section 15B.

✅ What Is Considered “Reasonable Wear and Tear”?

These are normal signs of everyday living:

• 🎨 Faded paint
• 🧼 Minor carpet wear
• 🖼️ Small nail holes from hanging pictures
• 🚪 Light scuff marks on walls or floors

These cannot legally be charged to tenants.

🛑 What Landlords Cannot Do

• ❌ Require tenants to pay for professional cleaning or repainting due to normal use
• ❌ Include lease clauses that override these protections — such clauses are unenforceable and void

⚖️ Legal Precedent: Peebles v. JRK Property Holdings, Inc. (2025)

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled:

Deductions for cleaning, painting, or refurbishing due to normal use violate tenant protection laws.

💡 What Landlords Can Deduct

• 💸 Unpaid rent
• 🔧 Damage beyond normal wear (e.g., broken fixtures, holes in walls)
• 📄 Repairs with itemized receipts

See indepth law details here:  Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 186, Section 15B