Map shows states with laws limiting "junk fees" for renters

The nationwide, bipartisan movement to eliminate so-called "junk fees" for renters has reached Massachusetts, where landlords are now forced to share the total price of what they are renting out with a future tenant before asking for any personal information.

Massachusetts is only the latest in a series of states which have introduced similar legislation against hidden fees in the rental market in recent years, including California and Colorado, as Americans struggle with a housing affordability crisis.

A study by the National Consumer Law Center found that junk fees cost American tenants hundreds of millions of dollars a year, disproportionately impacting the lowest-income and marginalized renting households, who spend a higher share of their wages on these hidden costs.

According to U.S. Census Bureau data, over 21 million renter households—the equivalent of about half of all renter households—spent more than 30 percent of their monthly income on rent in 2023, enough to be considered cost-burdened.