Mandated Heating Season Ends Soon in Massachusetts

For five years, I lived in an apartment in the Berkshires. Technically, it was a big old house divided into four apartments. There was a full wraparound apartment on the bottom floor, two apartments on the second floor, and one small apartment on the third floor, which was known as the "maid quarters." Guess which one I lived in? That's right, the third floor in the maid quarters. It was a fun time, though, and my landlord was very good to me pretty much the entire time I lived there.

I really didn't have any issues in the apartment. The rent was very reasonable, I never had a problem with hot water, and I always had heat. It was simple living with very few to no issues.

Speaking of heat and renting, Massachusetts renters may or may not be aware that the heating season for landlords will end soon. What exactly does this mean?

If you are a new renter or are thinking about renting in the future, it's worth noting that Massachusetts landlords are required by law to provide equipment capable of heating residential units to at least 68°F during the day from September 15 through May 31 of the next year. According to masslandlords.net,  from June 1 through September 14, landlords are no longer legally mandated to switch on the heat.

In addition to this mandated heating cycle, there are three temperatures to know about, according to masslandlords.net. Here's what's stated on the site:

In rooms requiring heat (see above), there are three temperatures to know. You must be at least 64 °F starting at 11:01pm and running through 6:59am. You must be at least 68 °F between 7am and 11pm inclusive. And you may never exceed 78 °F.

Get more details on Massachusetts heating laws for renters by going here.