10/02/2026
A year ago Massachusetts told renters they'd stop paying for brokers they never hired. Some brokers are still trying it.
If the landlord hired the broker, the fee is the landlord's. If you hired your own agent under a written agreement, you pay that agent. Nobody else. The full picture, including what the Attorney General has done about it, is in the graphic.
The stat that surprises people most: a landlord who charges it anyway can owe triple the fee plus attorney's fees under the Consumer Protection Act.
The "open listing" argument, that no contract with the landlord means the renter pays, doesn't hold up. The Governor and AG said so on May 21.
We updated our guide with the enforcement record, the renamed fees that are also banned, and where to complain:
https://zenithrp.com/blog/massachusetts-broker-fee-law?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=broker-fee-2026-update
Were you charged a broker fee after August 1, 2025?
Not legal advice.
