Massachusetts Security Request Letter
Massachusetts landlord-tenant laws requires that the landlord must pay the tenant back full security deposit and the accumulated interest within 30 days of lease termination. The tenant's security deposit must not be commingled with other funds and be kept in a separate interest-bearing account in a Massachusetts financial institution. The landlord must send the tenant a written notice disclosing the name, address and account number of the bank where the security deposit is held. The landlord also has 10 days from the date after receiving the tenant's security deposit to inform the tenant in a separate notice about the condition of the rental property, to which the tenant has 15 days to respond to it confirming the condition of the property. The security deposit can be used by the landlord to only cover unpaid rent, unpaid utility bills, damages exceeding the normal wear and tear and unpaid real estate taxes that the tenant is obligated to. If the landlord fails to observe the Massachusetts security deposit laws while you are renting, it is your right as a tenant to ask them to return the security deposit immediately.
In case there are damages and other expenses by the end of your tenancy, the landlord has 30 days to send a list of all expenses deductible from the security deposit along with the remaining balance. If the premise remains in the same condition when your tenancy ends, besides normal wear and tear, the landlord's failure to repay the deposit and accrued interest within the statutory time, the tenant can sue the landlord in a Massachusetts small claims court where they could be liable to pay 3 times much the security deposit in damages. However, to expedite the repayment process, sending a security request letter is a tactful approach that usually works in prompting a landlord to oblige to the lease agreement. This Request For Deposit Return Letter clearly highlights your desires while also sending a warning to the landlord if they fail to repay the deposit.
