Start with your payment schedule
By RealCostTools. Sources and calculations checked September 17, 2026.
For the fictional $2,500-per-month apartment below, first month's rent, last month's rent, a security deposit and a $75 lock charge total $7,575. Adding $700 for moving and utility setup brings the planned cash to $8,275. These are illustrative inputs, not Boston average prices or a quote.
This guide covers ordinary residential apartment budgeting in Boston, Massachusetts, in U.S. dollars. It does not assess vacation rentals, subsidized-housing program requirements or an individual lease dispute. The legal summaries are general information; check the linked official rules for your situation.
What can the landlord collect upfront?
Massachusetts law lists four categories a landlord or the landlord's agent may require at or before the tenancy begins:
| Category | Amount to check |
|---|---|
| First month's rent | First full month of occupancy |
| Last month's rent | Same rate as the first full month |
| Security deposit | No more than one month's rent |
| Key and lock | Purchase and installation cost |
These are permitted categories, not a requirement that every landlord charge all four. A security deposit is distinct from prepaid last-month rent. The statute also sets rules for deposit handling, receipts and condition statements. This example assumes a conventional cash deposit, not a fee-in-lieu product. Read the current text of Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 186, Section 15B.
Ask for an itemized statement with the recipient and due date for each amount. If a landlord's statement adds an application, administration or other unexplained upfront charge, ask for its legal basis before treating it as an ordinary required cost. A field in a nationwide calculator does not establish that a charge is allowed locally.
Reference: Massachusetts General Laws: Chapter 186, Section 15B
Who pays a Boston rental broker fee?
Since August 1, 2025, the Massachusetts rule assigns the fee to the party that originally engaged and contracted with the licensed broker or salesperson. If the landlord hired the broker, the landlord pays. If you independently hired and contracted with a broker to find an apartment for you, budget the fee in your agreement. See the current broker-fee statute.
Do not automatically add one month's rent as a tenant broker fee. Establish who hired the broker and review the agreement first. Boston's official broker-fee notice explains the distinction and recommends keeping records and asking for copies of agreements.
A listing handled by a broker does not, by itself, answer who owes the fee. If the proposed charge and the hiring arrangement do not match, resolve the discrepancy before including it as a confirmed obligation.
Reference: Massachusetts General Laws: Chapter 112, Section 87DDD 1/2 · City of Boston: broker-fee notice
Worked example: $2,500 monthly rent
Assume the lease starts on the first day of a month, all listed amounts are payable by move-in, and no credits apply. The landlord requires the three rent-sized payments shown. You have not independently hired a tenant broker.
| Payment | Assumed amount | Recipient |
|---|---|---|
| First full month's rent | $2,500 | Landlord |
| Last month's rent | $2,500 | Landlord |
| Security deposit | $2,500 | Landlord |
| Key and lock purchase/installation | $75 | Landlord |
| Landlord subtotal | $7,575 | |
| Moving company or truck | $600 | Moving provider |
| Utility setup/deposit | $100 | Utility provider |
| Total planned move-in cash | $8,275 |
The $75, $600 and $100 amounts are invented for the calculation. Replace them with itemized charges or actual provider quotes. Furniture, storage, insurance, overlapping rent and an emergency reserve are excluded from this example; add those separately when relevant. Do not mistake the landlord subtotal for your entire relocation budget.
The calculation is $2,500 + $2,500 + $2,500 + $75 + $600 + $100 = $8,275. The security deposit ties up cash even though it is not the same kind of spending as a moving bill. Prepaid last-month rent covers a later rental period, so avoid counting it again as an additional lease-term expense.
How the cash requirement changes
Each row changes only the named assumption from the example above.
| Scenario | Planned cash by move-in | Difference from example |
|---|---|---|
| Original example | $8,275 | $0 |
| Landlord does not require last month's rent upfront | $5,775 | −$2,500 |
| Security deposit is $1,250 instead of $2,500 | $7,025 | −$1,250 |
| You independently hire a broker with an agreed $2,500 fee due by move-in | $10,775 | +$2,500 |
The broker amount is a hypothetical contract price, not a legal fee schedule or a claim about prevailing Boston rates. A lower upfront requirement also does not necessarily mean a lower total cost over the lease: compare monthly rent and the full agreement.
Reproduce the example in the calculator
Open the rent affordability and move-in calculator. For this example, focus on Total move-in cash; the affordability outputs require your own income and monthly expense inputs.
1. Set monthly rent to $2,500. Under Cash before you get the keys, choose Full month of rent.
2. Enter a $2,500 security deposit, $2,500 last month's rent due upfront and $600 for Moving company or truck.
3. Expand Other deposits, fees & credits. Enter $100 in Utility setup and deposits and $75 in Other move-in costs for the lock. Keep a separate note identifying that $75.
4. Set all remaining optional upfront costs and credits to $0. Check existing values if you previously used or loaded a scenario.
5. Select Calculate my estimate. In the cost breakdown, Total move-in cash should be $8,275. For the hypothetical tenant-hired broker scenario, change Other move-in costs to $2,575: $75 lock plus $2,500 broker. Calculate again; the total becomes $10,775.
The calculator adds your inputs; it does not determine whether a fee is lawful or whether every payment shares the same due date. Its general fee fields serve multiple locations. Read the rent calculator methodology for the calculation and limitations.
Make a cash-before-keys worksheet
Copy this table and complete it from your lease, broker agreement and provider quotes. Use one row per payment, including any split payments.
| Payment | Recipient | Amount | Due date | Already paid | Still needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rent due at move-in | |||||
| Last month's rent, if required | |||||
| Security deposit | |||||
| Itemized key/lock cost | |||||
| Independently hired tenant broker, if applicable | |||||
| Movers/truck | |||||
| Utility setup/deposit | |||||
| Other verified moving expenses |
For each deadline, add the unpaid amounts due by that date and subtract the money you have set aside for those payments. Keep an emergency reserve outside the amount available to spend. An old apartment's anticipated deposit return should not fund a deadline unless the money will actually be available in time.
Track payments already made so they do not appear twice. Likewise, subtract a concession only when it applies to the payment being budgeted; a future free month does not necessarily reduce cash due today. For the broader moving checklist, see apartment move-in costs.
What if I move in partway through the month?
Use the rent amount and payment schedule confirmed for your lease. Ask whether the amount due includes only a partial month or also the next full month. Do not assume that a calculator's proration option establishes your contractual obligation.
If you have a confirmed amount, choose Enter a custom amount and enter it as Custom rent due. Keep last-month rent and the deposit in their own fields. Recheck the total against the itemized statement before making a payment.
What should I confirm before committing?
Confirm the total rent, each upfront amount, who receives it, when it is due and what any advance payment will be credited toward. For a broker charge, confirm the original hiring relationship and the agreement. Keep the signed documents, receipts and your completed worksheet together.
Your final budget should answer two separate questions: how much cash you need before the keys are released, and whether the ongoing rent fits your monthly finances. Solving the first does not automatically solve the second.
Sources and calculation notes
- Massachusetts General Laws: Chapter 186, Section 15B
Current upfront-payment categories, deposit and receipt rules; current subsection (1)(b) effective August 1, 2025. Checked September 17, 2026. This guide models a conventional cash deposit.
- Massachusetts General Laws: Chapter 112, Section 87DDD 1/2
Broker-fee responsibility follows the party that originally engaged and contracted with the broker. Current text effective August 1, 2025; checked September 17, 2026.
- City of Boston: broker-fee notice
August 2025 notice explains landlord-hired and tenant-hired brokers and keeping agreements. Checked September 17, 2026.
Read the rent affordability & move-in methodology for the model assumptions and excluded costs.
Published . Sources checked . Editorial policy · Corrections