Apartment buildings
Compare floor plans, building amenities, lease dates, parking, pet requirements and the written breakdown of rent and other charges.
GREATER BOSTON · KELLY CUI
Rental Services
Find a rental home in Greater Boston with Kelly Cui. Compare homes, arrange showings and plan your application and move.
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RENTING IN GREATER BOSTON
Find a place to call home.
Plan your rental search with Kelly Cui, from comparing homes and arranging showings to preparing an application and planning your move.
BACK BAY · BOSTONSTART WITH HOW YOU LIVE
Compare more than the rent.
Use the home’s actual details and your daily routine to compare your options. Availability and terms need to be confirmed for each property.
Condos & smaller rental properties
Check the specific unit, owner’s lease terms, included utilities, maintenance contact and any condo association move requirements.
Single-family homes & townhomes
Look at usable space, parking, outdoor areas and maintenance responsibilities. Compare the full commute and the home’s heating and cooling setup.
From the first conversation to moving day.
A clear sequence, with the details adapted to your plans and the property.
Set your priorities
Start with your move-in date, monthly budget, daily destinations, household needs and preferred lease length. Separate essentials from flexible preferences.
Compare homes and locations
Compare apartments, condos and houses alongside the full monthly cost, travel routes, parking and building requirements. Confirm availability before arranging a visit.
Arrange showings
Look at the actual layout, light, storage and condition. Ask about heating, cooling, laundry, utilities and the details that affect everyday life.
Prepare your application
Confirm the property’s current application requirements and organize the requested documents. Discuss alternatives with the leasing team if your documents need explanation.
Review the lease and payments
Go through the proposed rent, dates, included services and written payment terms. Confirm the service relationship and any agreed compensation before proceeding.
Plan your move
Confirm key collection, building access, utility setup and any move arrangements with the owner or management team. Keep copies of signed documents and payment records.
OUR FIRST CONVERSATION
Tell Kelly what matters to you.
Bring the information you have. You can work through the remaining questions together.
- Target move-in date, flexibility and preferred lease length
- Monthly budget, including parking, utilities and other housing costs
- Daily destinations and preferred ways to travel
- Bedrooms, household size, pets, parking and other essentials
- Application documents you already have and any questions about requirements
YOUR RENTAL READING ROOM
Practical guides for every stage.
24 guides to finding, applying for and living in your next home.
01
Finding the right rental
Plan your timing, compare home types and prepare for a move to Greater Boston.
When to start looking for a Boston rental
A large share of Boston leases begin on September 1. How far ahead units come up, when to start for each kind of building, how long approval takes, and how to handle the end-of-August gap.
Renting an apartment, condo or house: key differences
The type of rental affects who reviews your application, signs the lease and handles repairs. Compare apartment buildings, condos and houses, and learn common layout terms.
Short-term and furnished rentals
What a lease under twelve months usually looks like in Greater Boston, how a tenancy at will differs from a fixed term, why a tenant cannot run a nightly rental in Boston, and how deposits and utilities work in a furnished unit.
Relocating to Greater Boston: where to start
Start with your regular destinations, decide whether to rent first, and coordinate financing, school registration and your move.
02
Budget, applications & the lease
Read about rental costs, application documents, credit history and lease paperwork.
What renting costs in Massachusetts, and what a landlord cannot charge
The legal limits on upfront payments, how broker fees work since August 2025, how to read move-in specials, and the monthly costs that are easy to miss.
Applying for a rental: documents, review and timing
What landlords and buildings usually ask for, how income is reviewed, why consistency across documents matters, and which fees a landlord cannot charge.
Renting without a US credit history
New to the US, a student from abroad or relocating for work: how to show you can pay, when a guarantor helps, and what to sort out before you sign.
Rental broker fees: the party who hires the broker pays
Effective August 1, 2025. A broker fee on a Massachusetts residential rental may be paid only by the party who hired the broker. What changed, who it affects, and where it stands in October 2026.
The lease package: forms, condo paperwork and the deposit account
What goes into a Massachusetts lease package, what a condo association may require, how to open the deposit account, and which forms protect you at move-out.
03
Moving in & everyday living
Prepare for moving day, parking, utilities and maintenance questions.
Planning a September 1 move in Boston
Most Boston leases turn over at the start of September. How to reserve curb space for the truck, book the elevator, open utility accounts, get rid of old furniture legally and document the unit on day one.
Street parking and resident permits in Boston
Who qualifies for a Boston resident parking permit, why there is no visitor permit, how street cleaning and snow emergencies get cars towed, and how Cambridge and Brookline differ.
Utilities and insurance: who pays for what
The Sanitary Code rules on electricity, gas and oil, the narrow law that allows water billing, trash and snow duties a lease can assign, and how an owner’s policy and a tenant’s renters policy fit together.
When something breaks in your rental
How to document a repair request, identify urgent problems, request an inspection and understand landlord and tenant responsibilities when repairs are delayed.
Repairs and maintenance during a lease
The owner’s maintenance duties under the State Sanitary Code, urgent repairs, access to the unit and who pays when something breaks.
04
Renewing, leaving early & moving out
Explore renewal decisions, leaving before the lease ends and preparing to move out.
Lease renewals and rent increases
How a fixed-term lease and a tenancy at will differ when the rent changes, when to start the renewal conversation in a September market, and how to weigh an increase against the cost of finding a new tenant.
Leaving before your lease ends
What the law says, what your lease adds, and how a replacement tenant, a sublet or an assignment changes what you owe.
Moving out and getting your deposit back
Leave the unit the way you found it, document everything, and know the rules a landlord must follow before keeping any part of your deposit.
05
Renting with school enrollment in mind
Plan the move alongside address checks, school information and enrollment documents.
How public school assignment works in Massachusetts
The right to attend school where you actually live, how each district draws its own attendance zones and buffer zones, and why an assignment can change.
Checking the assigned school for a specific address
Use the district’s own lookup, ask the registration office the right questions in writing, and keep the answer before you sign a lease or a purchase and sale agreement.
Registering for school after a move: residency, age, health and records
What districts ask for, when you can register, the kindergarten age rule, immunization requirements, the language survey and how records follow a student.
Boston Public Schools: registration, the choice list and exam schools
How a home address shapes the BPS choice list, the registration rounds and documents, and how admission to the three exam schools works under the policy revised in November 2025.
How to read Massachusetts school reports
What DESE’s School and District Profiles and report cards contain, how the state accountability system describes a school, and how to turn the data into questions for the district.
Options beyond the assigned school
Inter-district school choice, METCO, charter schools, career technical education, private schools and home schooling: what each is, who decides and where to start.
Timing a move around the school year
Work backward from the district’s registration rules and first day of school, decide between buying and renting first, and know what happens when a move falls mid-year.
QUESTIONS ABOUT RENTING
Before your next step.
How early should I contact Kelly?
Share your target move-in date and how flexible it is. The search schedule depends on the property type, lease dates and homes currently available. Kelly can help you decide what to prepare first.
Can I apply without a U.S. credit history?
Ask about the specific property before applying. Owners and management teams set their own requirements; confirm whether they will consider your available documents or an alternative arrangement. Approval cannot be guaranteed.
Can you help if I am moving from outside Boston?
Start with your daily destinations, timing and space needs. Discuss available showing options and confirm the exact unit, written terms and move arrangements before making a decision.
How do I compare the total cost?
Request a written breakdown of rent, included utilities, parking, application charges and any other proposed payments. Discuss any concession and its written conditions before comparing lease options.
How are service scope and fees handled?
Confirm who represents whom, which services are included, who is responsible for any agreed fee and the payment terms in writing before proceeding. The details depend on the actual engagement and applicable requirements.
I own a property. Which service should I use?
Visit Leasing & Property Management to discuss finding tenants, preparing a rental and ongoing management. This page is for people looking for a home to rent. Landlord services ↗