Massachusetts Rental Application Form

What this Massachusetts rental application is

This is a two-page, fillable Massachusetts rental application PDF. The applicant fills in identity, rental history, employment, finances, vehicles, references, and screening questions, then signs an authorization for credit and background checks. It is a general template, not a form issued by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or any state agency, and no state agency requires this particular layout.

Who uses it

Massachusetts landlords and property managers use it to compare applicants before offering a lease, and applicants use it when a landlord sends a blank PDF to complete. In college towns and in Boston's tighter rental market, landlords often ask a guarantor or cosigner, commonly a parent, to fill out a second copy when an applicant's income or credit history is limited. A guarantor backs the lease if the tenant defaults; a cosigner signs the lease itself and shares responsibility for rent from day one.

What to have ready

• Addresses, rent amounts, and owner or manager phone numbers for your current home and up to two earlier homes, with move-in and move-out dates
• Employer names, addresses, phone numbers, supervisors, and monthly gross pay for your current and up to two prior jobs
• Bank names for savings and checking, plus any credit card and auto loan accounts and their balances
• Make, model, color, year, and plate for each vehicle that will be parked at the property
• Names and birth dates of every other person who will live with you

For a fuller checklist of supporting papers, see our guide to the documents needed for a rental application.

How to fill it out online

Click "Fill Template Now," type into the fields directly on the PDF, add your signature, and download the finished file to email or print.

Page 1

• Applicant details: First Name, Middle, Last, Birth Date, Social Security #, Driver's License #, Any Other Names You've Used In The Past, Home Phone, and Cell Phone.
• All Other Proposed Occupants: four rows for each person's name, birth date, and Relationship To Applicant.
• Rental/Residence History: three columns (Current, Previous, and Prior Residence). For each, enter the street address, city, state and zip, Last Rent Amount Paid, Owner/Manager and Phone Number, Reason for leaving, and answers to "Is/Was rent paid in full?", "Did you give notice?", and "Were you asked to move?" Below that are the name(s) your utilities are billed in and the dates of residency.
• Employment History: Employed By, Address, Employer's Phone, Occupation, Name of Supervisor, Monthly Gross Pay, and dates of employment for three jobs.
• Credit History: institution name and the balance on deposit or balance owed for a savings account, checking account, credit card, and auto loan.
• Vehicles: two rows for make, model, color, year, and license plate, including other occupants' vehicles.

Page 2

• References and Emergency Contacts: name, address, and phone for a doctor, a lawyer, and your nearest relative living elsewhere. The printed text says that by signing you allow the landlord to contact these people if you cannot be located, and to let the listed relative remove your belongings if you abandon the apartment.
• General Information: 17 questions, including late rent notices, smoking, how long you plan to rent, bankruptcy, move-in date, felony convictions, eviction notices, pets, problems with your current landlord, why you are moving, other income you want considered (marked optional), past lawsuits, anything a credit or criminal check might show, and how you heard about the apartment.
• Agreement and Authorization: a "Tenant Applicant Signature" line and date. Signing authorizes credit and criminal checks and contact with everyone listed.

Massachusetts rules on fees, deposits, and screening

The following is general information as of October 2026, with links to the official sources.

What a landlord may collect before move-in

Under M.G.L. c.186, §15B(1)(b), at or before the start of a tenancy a landlord or agent may require no more than: first month's rent, last month's rent (at the same rate as the first month), a security deposit no larger than one month's rent, and the purchase and installation cost of a new lock. The Attorney General's Guide to Landlord and Tenant Rights states that landlords may not charge a tenant or prospective tenant an application fee, and the Attorney General's broker fee advisory lists move-in, background check, and credit check fees among the amounts a landlord may not require.

Important for this template: the printed signature paragraph says the applicant understands there is a non-refundable fee to process the application. That sentence reflects practice in other states. Because Massachusetts law does not allow application fees, a Massachusetts landlord using this template should edit or remove that sentence before sharing the form.

Broker fees

Since August 1, 2025, a landlord who hires a broker must pay that broker's fee. A tenant pays a broker only if the tenant hired that broker. See the state's broker fee FAQ.

Security deposit handling and return

Under §15B, the landlord must give a receipt, keep the deposit in a separate interest-bearing account in a Massachusetts bank, and provide a written statement of the unit's condition within 10 days after the tenancy starts (or when the deposit is paid, if later). The deposit, less lawful deductions, must be returned within 30 days after the tenancy ends. The Trial Court Law Libraries security deposit page collects the details.

Screening rules

M.G.L. c.151B, §4 bars refusing to rent because an applicant receives public assistance or a housing subsidy such as a Section 8 voucher or RAFT, and the state's public assistance discrimination page explains that this covers screening criteria that would exclude voucher holders. It is also unlawful to refuse to rent to a family because a child under six would trigger the state lead paint law.

When an application asks about prior arrests, criminal court appearances, or convictions, such as the felony question on Page 2 of this template, M.G.L. c.276, §100A requires the application to include a statement telling applicants with a sealed record that they may answer "no record." A landlord cannot see a sealed criminal case or a sealed eviction case, so an applicant is entitled to treat that history as if it did not happen.

Signing and submitting

Sign the "Tenant Applicant Signature" line, date it, and return the PDF to the landlord or manager by email, portal, or in person. You can add a typed or drawn signature with our PDF signing tool. Keep a copy of what you submitted.

Common mistakes

• Listing monthly net pay where the form asks for monthly gross pay.
• Paying an application, credit check, or holding fee in Massachusetts without checking §15B first.
• Leaving the felony conviction question blank or inaccurate instead of answering "no record" when the record is legally sealed.