Fall River, MA local landlord rules
State law also applies. See Massachusetts landlord-tenant law and the Massachusetts landlord FAQ. State rules: Security deposit limit · Deposit return deadline · Notice to enter · Late fees · Eviction notice (nonpayment) · Rent increase notice.
Quick facts
| Topic | At a glance |
|---|---|
| Short-term rentals (Airbnb) | Yes. A home can be offered as a short-term rental only if it complies with the city's short-term rental article and is registered with the Massachusetts DOR on MassTaxConnect. The operator must live in the dwelling at least nine months of each calendar year. Stays are capped at eight guests or two per bedroom, whichever is fewer. Operators must also register each short-term rental with Inspectional Services every year before any guest occupies it, with proof of primary residence. |
Details & sources
Short-term rentals (Airbnb)
Yes. A home can be offered as a short-term rental only if it complies with the city's short-term rental article and is registered with the Massachusetts DOR on MassTaxConnect. The operator must live in the dwelling at least nine months of each calendar year. Stays are capped at eight guests or two per bedroom, whichever is fewer. Operators must also register each short-term rental with Inspectional Services every year before any guest occupies it, with proof of primary residence.
Verified Source: Fall River Code ch. 14, art. XXIII (Short-Term Rentals), §§ 14-720–14-723 (Ord. No. 2025-07) · last checked 2026-10-16
Back to quick facts ↑Research coverage
0 of 13 topics checked at the local level (state law is covered on the state page). A topic counts as checked only when every subtopic in it is checked or no additional requirement was found after a recorded full read. How coverage works.
| Topic | Status | Subtopics done |
|---|---|---|
| Deposits | Not researched | 0 of 2 |
| Deposit return deadlines | Not researched | None tracked at this level |
| Rent increases and rent control | Not researched | 0 of 1 |
| Late fees | Not researched | None tracked at this level |
| Landlord entry | Not researched | None tracked at this level |
| Repairs and habitability | Not researched | 0 of 1 |
| Screening and application fees | Not researched | None tracked at this level |
| Fair housing and assistance animals | Not researched | 0 of 1 |
| Disclosures | Not researched | 0 of 2 |
| Renewal and termination | Not researched | None tracked at this level |
| Eviction | Not researched | 0 of 3 |
| Registration and licensing | Not researched | 0 of 3 |
| Short-term rentals | Partially researched | 1 of 2 |
Also applies statewide
Massachusetts rules that also apply in Fall River:
- Security deposit limit
- A security deposit of no more than the first month's rent. A landlord may also collect first and last month's rent and the cost of a new lock and key. Verified Source: M.G.L. c. 186, § 15B(1) · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full Massachusetts security deposit limit page
- Deposit return deadline
- Within 30 days after the tenancy ends: return the deposit or balance. Any deduction for damage needs a sworn, itemized list plus estimates, bills, or receipts within the same 30 days, or the right to keep any of it is lost. Verified Source: Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186, § 15B(4) · last checked 2026-10-22 · Full Massachusetts deposit return deadline page
- Notice to enter
- A residential lease may let the landlord enter only to inspect, make repairs or show the unit; the landlord may also enter under a court order, if the unit appears abandoned, or in the last 30 days of the tenancy to inspect for damage. Statute text: "No lease relating to residential real property shall contain a provision that a lessor may, except to inspect the premises, to make repairs thereto or to show the same to a prospective tenant, purchaser, mortgagee or its agents, enter the premises before the termination date of such lease" (Mass. G.L. c. 186, § 15B(1)(a)). Verified Source: Mass. G.L. c. 186, § 15B(1)(a) · last checked 2026-10-16 · Full Massachusetts notice to enter page
- Late fees
- No interest or penalty for late rent until 30 days after the rent was due. Verified Source: M.G.L. c. 186 § 15B(1)(c) · last checked 2026-10-15 · Full Massachusetts late fees page
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