If you're looking to rent, you should understand that signing a rental agreement means entering into a legally binding contract with the landlord or property management company. Before the lease agreement or rental agreement is offered, you'll generally first need to apply through a rental application.
A rental application collects basic information about you to determine if you are a good fit and that you can afford to rent the property. However, under both state and federal law, you do have rights as a renter.
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To create a rental application to screen prospective tenants, a landlord may decide to write their own Massachusetts rental application form.
Massachusetts Legal Aid Tenant's Rights
Massachusetts delegates that a security deposit for real estate may not exceed the equivalent of one month’s rent. Additionally, the landlord must pay the tenant 5% interest per year or the interest paid by a Massachusetts bank. When the lease is terminated, the landlord has 30 days after the lease termination to return the tenant’s deposit (Mass. Gen. Laws Ann. Ch. 186, § 15B).