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LANDLORD RIGHT Even experienced renters don't usually know all the regulations that govern landlords.nbc And landlords may not know the rules, either. Here are a few of the most important rules, from the state Department of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulations: 1. Landlord may run a credit check and ask for references from prior landlords when considering whether to rent to an applicant. They are also allowed to confirm current employment, salary, and ask about the employee's prospects for keeping his job. 2. There is no limit on how much a landlord can charge for rent, or on how much he can raise it. Under a tenancy-at-will agreement, a landlord must imform a tenant of an increase 30 days or one month in advance, whichever is longer. With a tenant who has a written lease, the landlord must wait until the lease is up for renewal before raising the rent. 3. Landlords have the right to receive rent on time. If rent is late by even one day, a landlord may begin an eviction process by sending a legal notice asking tenants to leave. 4. Landlords may require tenants to pay their own utility bills. State law, however, will hold a landlord responsible for the electricity and heating costs if the proper language is not included in the tenancy agreement. 5. A landlord must provide a sink in a kitchen, but is under no boligation to provide a refrigerator. The landlord need only provide refrigerator hook-ups. ... TENANT RIGHTS Sept. 1 is likely the biggest moving day of the year, as scores of students descend upon Boston, and leases get turned over to new tenants. Here is an important list of tenants rights, as provided by the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office: 1. Only a licensed broker or a member of the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons can charge an apartment finder's fee. 2. A landlord can't require a tenant to pay a deposit for a pet. 3. The most a landlord can request is first and last month's rent plus a security deposit that can be no larger than a month's rent. The security deposit must be deposited into an account, generate 5 percent interest a year for the tenant, and be returned within 30 days after the tenant leaves. 4. A landlord can only deduct from the security deposit a remaining rent balance, some real estate taxes, and damages to the apartment. 5. State law requires landlords of multi-family houses and apartment complexes to keep exits clear of snow, but they are not required to shovel driveways. 6. Tenants can only withhold rent if they can prove that unaddressed demages to the property would effect their health or safety. And they must prove in court that the landlord knew about the damages but did not address them. 7. State law requires landlords who include the cost of heat in the rent to be able to heat every room in the apartment to a temperature of at lease 68 degrees during the day between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. and 64 degrees at night from Sept. 15 to June 15. 8. A landlord may enter a tenant's apartment only to inspect the premises, make repairs, show the property to a prospective tenant or buyer, or inspect for damage within the last month. ... SMOOTH MOVES What inspires more dread than moving? A move marked by the smashing of stemware and large sofas wedged in small doorways. Dave Hart, general manager of Nick's Moving in Somerville, offered these tips to make your moving day -- whether it's into a dorm or your dream home -- smooth. 1. Start packing days earlier so your friends, or movers you're paying by the hour, don't need to wait around. 2. Purge before you pack. Do you really want to shove those unused Rollerblades or unworn blazers into the back of a new closet? "Be brutal," Hart advises. "Do you really need it? Have you used it in the last year? Everyone's got a lot of crap." 3. Hire movers if you can't ply friends with pizza and beer for help. Otherwise, stay tight with friends who drive pickup trucks or cut movers' hourly costs by hauling the small stuff yourself. Making several trips may be a pain, but it's better than overpacking the vehicle and crushing grandma's china, and it shaves the bill. 4. Clean newsprint sold by moving companies is better for packing than dirty newspapers or expensive bubble wrap. Pack tightly so each load will not shift. 5. Free boxes from the corner liquor store will work fine for a small job, but for a big move, buy standard-size boxes, whose consistent shapes and solid bottoms can be packed more snugly, efficiently, and safely. 6. Pack lamps in boxes. They're so commonly damaged toppling over in trucks that movers' insurance won't even over them. 7. Find a home for the day for pets and kids, who linger dangerously underfoot and fret at the sight of their homes being shifted around. 8. Don't try to defy physics. Movers could keep trying to wedge your massive sleeper sofa through a narrow door frame, but consider the ticking clock and your excalating bill. "You could spend $200 trying to get it in the house when the couch is worth $50," Hart said. 9. Ask about hired movers' policies on repairs. "Your question should be: 'what are you going to do when you scratch my wall?' "advised Hart, who has employees who handle wall repairs, furniture repairs, antiques,and ever exterior damage. 10. Promise a tip beforehand, letting movers know, "' OK, guys, I've got a couple hundred bucks here to split between you -- if everything goes OK,' "said Hart, "it keeps them on their toes." ...  
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