Housing Code Checklist
Use this checklist while looking for an apartment, and as a resource as a renter in Boston. All apartments in Boston must adhere to housing code.
Download the Housing Code Checklist (PDF)
Boston Housing Code Checklist
| General maintenance | |
|---|---|
| Rodent-proof and insect-proof | |
| Watertight | |
| Unit in overall good repair | |
| Owner may not turn off water, heat, electricity, or gas, except during repairs |
| Kitchen | |
|---|---|
| Sink – Large enough to wash dishes, drains properly, and does not leak | |
| Lights – At least one wall outlet and one electric light fixture | |
| Adequate ventilation | |
| Stove and oven in good repair |
| Heat | |
|---|---|
| Adequate to keep every room at 68°F/20°C during the day and at 64°F/17°C at night between September 15 and June 15 (owner responsible for heat and heating bills unless tenant signs a written agreement stating otherwise) | |
| Heating equipment in good working condition | |
| Space heaters, if any, properly vented to a chimney or duct leading to the outdoors |
| Bathroom | |
|---|---|
| Toilet – free from leaks | |
| Sink or wash basin – free from leaks | |
| Bathtub or shower – free from leaks | |
| Lights – at least one electric light fixture | |
| Adequate ventilation | |
| Walls – four feet high and made of nonabsorbent, easily cleaned material such as tile |
| Electricity and Wiring | |
|---|---|
| Per room: two separate outlets or one outlet and one light fixture (except kitchen and bathroom, which must meet separate standards) | |
| Electric light fixture in laundry, pantry, hallway, closet, and storage closet | |
| No temporary wiring | |
| No wiring under rugs or passing through doorways |
| Water | |
|---|---|
| Enough hot and cold water for ordinary use even when others in the building are using it (owner responsible for hot water heating bills unless tenant signs a written agreement stating otherwise) | |
| Hot water heater in good working condition (must heat to at least 120°F/48°C) |
| Safety | |
|---|---|
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Two exits |
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Smoke detectors |
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Carbon monoxide detectors |
| Ventilation | |
|---|---|
| Adequate ventilation (window or mechanical) for every room |
| Trash | |
|---|---|
| Landlord provides trashcans and covers if three or more families live in the building |
| Pests | |
|---|---|
| No rats or roaches – landlord must exterminate when found in more than one apartment or when landlord’s improper maintenance is the cause |
| Structural Maintenance | |
|---|---|
| Foundations – watertight, rodent-proof, in good repair | |
| Floor – free of holes, cracks, or bulges | |
| Walls, ceilings, roof in good repair | |
| Watertight doors and windows with no draughts | |
| Staircases – stable, with handrail | |
| Walls – four feet high and made of nonabsorbent, easily cleaned material such as tile |
| Lead Paint | |
|---|---|
| The Massachusetts Lead Law requires the deleading or control of lead hazards existing in homes built before 1978 where children under age six live | |
| Owners are responsible for complying with the Lead Law and paying to delead if children under age six are living in the unit |
| Door locks | |
|---|---|
| In buildings with four or more apartments, a lock on every outside door and one self-closing, automatic-lock door with electric buzzer in the building’s entryway |
Have Questions?
Contact Off-Campus Living
Location: Campus Center, 3rd Floor, Suite 3300
100 William T Morrissey Blvd, Boston, MA 02125
Phone:617.287.6373
Email:offcampus@umb.edu
Location: Campus Center, 3rd Floor, Suite 3300
100 William T Morrissey Blvd, Boston, MA 02125
Phone:617.287.6373
Email:offcampus@umb.edu