Massachusetts Retaliation Law: What Counts & the Presumption Window (2026)

What counts as retaliation, and the window where the law presumes it

At a glance

• Protection window: 182 days
• Governing authority: M.G.L. c. 186, § 18

Who this covers — and who it does not

This page covers landlord retaliation in Massachusetts — what a landlord may not do after you exercise a protected right.

It does not cover commercial leases, or conduct outside the protected window described below.

What the law prohibits

M.G.L. c. 186, § 18 — 房东不得因租客从事受保护行为而报复（涨租、终止租约、重大变更条款等）。

§18 禁止对投诉、组织租客工会、行使法律权利等行为报复；c.239 §2A 将报复作为 summary process 之诉的抗辩与反诉。

M.G.L. c. 186, § 18 ↗

The protection window

For 182 days after a protected act, certain landlord actions are presumed retaliatory.

§18：租客在受保护行为后 6 个月内收到终止通知（欠租除外）、涨租、或重大条款变更的，产生可反驳的报复推定；房东仅能以 clear and convincing evidence 证明其行为非报复、有充分独立理由、且无论如何都会同时同样采取该行为，方可推翻。

M.G.L. c. 186, § 18 ↗

Protected activities

What a landlord may not do

Burden of proof

租客先证受保护行为 + 6 个月内报复行为 → 产生报复推定；此后房东须以 clear and convincing evidence 证明非报复且有独立理由。

M.G.L. c. 186, § 18 ↗

Remedies

Exemptions and limits

任何租约或协议中 waive §18 保护的条款一律 void and unenforceable（不可豁免）。

M.G.L. c. 186, § 18 ↗

Sources and how to verify them

Every figure on this page comes from the official text or a state court opinion, not from a summary. The table below lists each provision used and the date it was last checked.

Statute	Last verified	Source
M.G.L. c. 186, § 18	2026-10-16	official text ↗
M.G.L. c. 186, § 18; c. 239, § 2A	2026-10-16	official text ↗
M.G.L. c. 93A	2026-10-16	official text ↗

Where the official text and a secondary summary disagree, this page follows the official text and says so. Where a provision admits of more than one reading, that is flagged rather than smoothed over.

When you need a lawyer instead of a tool

A self-help guide is the right starting point for understanding your position. Get legal help if:

• You have received an eviction notice — the timeline is now court-driven
• The dispute involves discrimination, unsafe conditions or retaliation
• Your landlord has filed anything in court already
• You are unsure whether a local ordinance changes the state rule

Local legal aid organisations and tenant unions offer free help for qualifying cases. They are independent of this site — we list them because they are the right place to go, not because they link here.

More Massachusetts guides

Massachusetts Security Deposit Return · Massachusetts Security Deposit Rules · Massachusetts Eviction Process · Massachusetts Rent Increase Rules · Massachusetts Repairs & Habitability

→ All Massachusetts tenant rights topics

Common questions