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We market your rental, screen for qualified tenants, and get it leased fast across Newton, Watertown, Waltham, and the surrounding towns.
Landlord services
PH Realty Group leases rental property for owners across Newton, Watertown and Waltham. The market median from listing to accepted offer is 26 days in Watertown and 25 in Newton, based on MLS PIN closed rentals. Our listings go under agreement faster than that, lease at or above asking more often, and go to tenants who cleared full verification. We price from closed rentals, advise you on lease terms, and only earn a fee when a lease is signed.
Because every step is built to produce a full field of qualified applicants in the first two weeks, and a full field is what lets an owner choose rather than accept. Owners who list with us tell us the same three things afterward: it leased faster than they expected, for more than they expected, and to a tenant they would have picked themselves.
Across the towns where we do most of our leasing, the outcome is consistently better than what the market delivers on its own, and we publish the market figures on this page so you can hold us to that.
We price to the last ten comparable units that actually closed, not to the highest asking rent on Zillow, and we list sixty to ninety days ahead on the September 1 cycle. A correctly priced, correctly timed unit draws its applicants in the first weekend of showings instead of over a month of one at a time.
Pricing to closed rentals cuts both ways. It stops an owner overpricing into a vacant month, and it stops them underpricing out of nerves. Grouped showings do the rest: when applicants can see the competition in the room, the offers that come in are at asking or above it. Owners tell us they got more than they thought the unit would bring.
Every applicant clears the same published criteria and the same full verification: credit, income against pay stubs and returns, employment confirmed directly, prior landlords called. You choose from a field of people who all cleared that bar, which is a different decision from taking whoever applied first. The tenants who come out of that process pay on time, stay, and renew.
Pricing, media, listing, showings, screening, lease, deposit, disclosures and the handoff. You make one decision, which applicant, and we do everything either side of it. When the lease is up we start the renewal conversation ninety days out so the unit never goes dark.
The party who hired the broker pays the fee. Massachusetts General Laws chapter 112, section 87DDD½ took effect on August 1, 2025 and ended the practice of charging a tenant for a broker the landlord engaged.
That one change is what most owners are still getting wrong. If you list your unit with a broker, you pay that broker. The fee cannot be moved onto the tenant under a different name and it cannot be folded into the rent as reimbursement. A tenant who hires their own broker to search on their behalf still pays that broker, which is the only situation where a renter pays anything.
The financial exposure for getting it wrong sits with the owner, not only with the brokerage. We see this most often with owners of two and three families in Watertown who leased the same way for twenty years and have not changed the paperwork. Every lease we have signed since the law took effect carries the written disclosure it requires.
| What the law covers | The rule since August 1, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Who pays | Only the party who engaged the broker |
| You list with a broker | You pay that broker |
| A tenant hires their own broker | That tenant pays that broker |
| Renamed fees | Admin, selection, finder’s and leasing fees charged to a tenant are not allowed |
| Fee folded into rent | Not allowed where the rent is structured to reimburse a broker’s fee |
| Written disclosure | Required before the lease is signed, naming who hired the broker, who pays and the amount |
| Penalty to the owner | Up to 3 times the amount charged, plus attorney’s fees |
| Penalty to the broker | Fines or revocation of license |
Four things, and nothing else: first month’s rent, last month’s rent, a security deposit of no more than one month’s rent, and the actual cost of a new lock and key.
That list comes from General Laws chapter 186, section 15B, and it is shorter than most owners expect. Application fees, holding deposits, upfront pet deposits, cleaning fees and amenity fees are all prohibited. Since August 1, 2025 the broker fee cannot be charged to a tenant you did not hire either.
| Charge | Allowed | Limit or rule |
|---|---|---|
| First month’s rent | Yes | Full month |
| Last month’s rent | Yes | Full month. You owe the tenant interest on it every year. |
| Security deposit | Yes | No more than one month’s rent |
| New lock and key | Yes | Actual cost of buying and installing it, nothing more |
| Application fee | No | Prohibited |
| Holding deposit | No | Prohibited |
| Pet deposit | No | Prohibited as an upfront charge |
| Cleaning, amenity or move in fee | No | Prohibited |
| Broker fee, to a tenant you did not hire | No | Prohibited since August 1, 2025 |
It has to sit in a separate account at a Massachusetts bank, not mixed with your own money. The tenant gets a statement of condition at move in, interest on the deposit every year, and the balance back within thirty days of moving out with any deductions itemized. Get the handling wrong and the exposure is up to three times the deposit, which on a Newton three bedroom is a five figure mistake over a few hundred dollars of paperwork. We set the account up with you before the first showing so it is never an afterthought.
This is a plain summary of how we read the statutes and the state’s published guidance. It is not legal advice. If your situation is unusual, talk to your attorney before you sign anything.
Seven things, and most owners have only thought about the first. The asking rent, the lease end date, who pays for what, the pet and parking policy, the applicant standard, how you will handle a counter from a strong applicant, and what the first two weeks will look like. We walk every owner through all seven before the listing goes live, because each one is easier to get right before a tenant is in the room.
| Decision | What we advise | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Asking rent | Price to the last ten comparable units that actually closed in your town, not to the highest active listing on Zillow. Set it to lease inside the first two weeks of showings, and decide the price reduction trigger before you list, not after a quiet weekend. | One vacant month on a $3,000 unit erases the extra $100 a month you were holding out for, and the unit that sits gets shown less every week it is on the market. |
| Lease end date | End the lease on August 31, even if that makes the first term ten or fourteen months instead of twelve. | It puts the unit on the September 1 cycle for every future turnover, which is when the deepest pool of tenants in Greater Boston is looking. |
| Utilities | Decide who pays heat, hot water, electric, water and internet before the listing goes up, and check what is separately metered. A utility that is not separately metered cannot be billed to the tenant. | Heat included versus tenant paid changes the asking rent by real money, and the wrong answer after signing is a dispute you cannot win. |
| Pets, parking, smoking, snow | Set each policy before the first showing. A pet policy cannot come with a pet deposit in Massachusetts, so decide whether the rent reflects pets rather than trying to charge for them later. Say who clears the snow and where the second car goes. | Applicants ask about all four at the showing. An owner who has not decided loses the strongest applicant to the listing down the street that had an answer. |
| Applicant standard | Write the criteria down before the first inquiry: income relative to rent, credit, landlord references, and what counts as verification. Apply it to every applicant identically. We draft it with you and publish it with the listing. | A written standard applied uniformly is what a fair housing complaint runs into and stops. An unwritten one is what it runs through. |
| When a strong applicant counters | Trade term for concession. A longer lease or an earlier start date is worth more to you than most concessions cost. Hold the rent if you can, hold the start date if you cannot, and never move the screening standard for anyone. | A tenant who negotiated a $50 discount and signed for eighteen months on the cycle is a better outcome than full asking for twelve months off cycle. |
| The first two weeks | Photos the week before the listing goes live. Showings grouped in the first weekend. Applications reviewed as they arrive, with a decision inside a few days of the showing. Lease out for signature the day you approve. Renewal conversation starts ninety days before the lease ends, in writing. | Speed is not the goal on its own. A full field of applicants on one weekend is, because it lets you choose rather than accept. |
Any owner who wants a longer conversation on one of these can call and have it, whether or not they end up listing with us. The advice is the same either way.
Nothing unless it leases. Our fee is earned only when a qualified tenant signs, and it is quoted per property rather than read off a rate card.
What the fee should be depends on the work the unit actually needs. A turnkey two bedroom in Watertown Square that will lease in a week is not the same job as a three family in Waltham that needs every unit photographed, sitting tenants coordinated for access and a September 1 start date held together. We quote it once we have walked the property, and we tell you what we think it will rent for in the same conversation.
The number, and who is paying it, goes in writing before anyone signs. That disclosure is now required by law, and we would do it anyway.
If the fee is the only thing standing between you and a call, call anyway. It is negotiable. We would much rather have that conversation than lose a listing over a number we never got to discuss.
The market median is 25 to 28 days from listing to accepted offer, depending on the town. Across Newton, Watertown and Waltham together it was 26 days in the twelve months ending September 2026, based on 1,513 closed MLS PIN rentals. Our own listings in Newton and Watertown went under agreement faster than those medians over the same period. We publish the market figures because they are what an owner should measure any broker against, and we will walk you through ours on the phone.
Days on market is mostly a pricing decision. The units that sit are priced to what the owner hoped for rather than to what the last ten comparable units actually closed at. Season is the other lever: a September 1 unit listed in June sees more qualified traffic in its first week than an off cycle unit sees in a month.
| Town | Median days to accepted offer | Share leased at or above asking | Median closed rent | Closed rentals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watertown | 26 | 64.7% | $2,950 | 433 |
| Newton | 25 | 69.9% | $3,650 | 611 |
| Waltham | 28 | 58.2% | $2,550 | 469 |
| Belmont | 27 | 67.4% | $3,250 | 181 |
| Arlington | 21 | 62.5% | $2,900 | 349 |
The market median in Watertown was 26 days from listing to accepted offer in the twelve months ending September 2026, across 433 closed MLS PIN rentals, and 23 days for two bedrooms. Our own Watertown listings went under agreement faster than both medians over the same period, and a higher share of them leased at or above asking.
Watertown is our home market. Our office is at Mount Auburn Street and School Street. See the Watertown neighborhood guide.
The market median in Newton was 25 days from listing to accepted offer in the twelve months ending September 2026, across 611 closed MLS PIN rentals. Our own Newton listings went under agreement faster than that median over the same period.
Newton spans thirteen villages and the pace differs between them. Ask us for the village level figure for yours. See the Newton neighborhood guide.
The market median in Waltham was 28 days from listing to accepted offer in the twelve months ending September 2026, across 469 closed MLS PIN rentals, the slowest of the five towns we track. Just over 58 percent of Waltham rentals leased at or above their original asking rent, also the lowest of the five, which says most about how Waltham units are priced at listing.
See the Waltham neighborhood guide.
The market median in Belmont was 27 days from listing to accepted offer in the twelve months ending September 2026, across 181 closed MLS PIN rentals. Belmont had the highest median rent of the five towns at $3,250, and about two thirds of units leased at or above asking.
See the Belmont neighborhood guide.
The market median in Arlington was 21 days from listing to accepted offer in the twelve months ending September 2026, across 349 closed MLS PIN rentals, the fastest of the five towns we track.
See the Arlington neighborhood guide.
Market figures are refreshed once a year and the period is always stated. Our own figures are kept on file and available to any owner who asks.
Sixty to ninety days before the lease starts. The inner ring runs on a September 1 turnover cycle, so the deepest pool of tenants is looking between May and July for a September start. A unit listed inside of thirty days is negotiating against a much thinner field.
One thing the data does not show, which most brokers will tell you anyway: listing early does not get you a higher rent. Across 868 closed rentals in our five towns where the availability date was recorded, units listed sixty or more days ahead leased at or above asking 65.1 percent of the time. Units listed inside thirty days did it 65.3 percent of the time. Same number. What listing early actually buys you is a deeper tenant pool and no vacancy gap, and that is worth more than a rent bump that does not exist.
| Target lease start | Have it listed by | When most tenants for that date are searching |
|---|---|---|
| September 1 | Early June | May through July |
| June 1 | Early March | February through April |
| January 1 | Early October | September through November |
| Any other date | Sixty to ninety days out | The six weeks after you go live |
The market by the numbers
MLS PIN closed rentals, twelve months ending September 2026. These are the figures to hold any broker against, including us.
Our own listings in Newton and Watertown came in ahead of every one of these over the same period. We keep the figures on file and will walk you through them on the phone.
Five things, and the first two trip up more owners than the other three combined. We walk through every one of them with you before the listing goes live.
If you are adding units rather than leasing the ones you already own, start with multifamily investing and come back here when you have the keys.
Six steps, start to keys. You approve the tenant. We do everything either side of that decision.
We price against closed MLS PIN rentals in your town, not against what neighbours are asking and not getting. Then we tell you what the unit needs before a camera comes out.
Professional photography, a walkthrough video, an interactive floor plan, and drone where the lot, the parking or the location is the thing worth selling.
MLS PIN first, which is the feed behind Zillow, Realtor.com and the rest of the portals. A listing that is right at the source is right everywhere downstream.
The screening standard goes out with the listing so every applicant knows it before they book. Showings run grouped, so the unit is seen by a full field instead of one person at a time over three weeks.
Every applicant goes through Intellirent on identical terms: full credit, income verified against pay stubs and returns, employment confirmed, current and prior landlords contacted. You get one clean summary and you make the call.
Massachusetts lease with our addendum covering utilities and house rules, signed through Dotloop from a phone. Deposit handled to the letter of chapter 186, broker fee disclosure signed, then we introduce you to your tenant.
PH Realty Group follows all federal and Massachusetts fair housing law. Every applicant is evaluated against the same published criteria. We do not refuse applicants on the basis of lawful source of income, including Section 8 and MRVP vouchers.
Both start identically. The difference is what happens after a good tenant is holding the keys.
Landlord services
Newton, Watertown, Waltham and the surrounding inner ring.
Send us the address and the unit details. We will price it against closed MLS PIN rentals, tell you what it should ask and how many days it should take, and walk you through who pays what under the current law. Our listings go under agreement faster than the market median and lease at or above asking more often. No obligation and no fee unless it leases.
The market median in Watertown was 26 days from listing to accepted offer in the twelve months ending September 2026, based on 433 closed MLS PIN rentals, and 23 days for two bedrooms. Our own Watertown listings went under agreement faster than both medians over the same period. The single biggest driver of the difference is pricing to closed rentals rather than to asking rents.
The market median in Newton was 25 days from listing to accepted offer in the twelve months ending September 2026, based on 611 closed MLS PIN rentals. Our own Newton listings went under agreement faster than that median over the same period. Newton’s thirteen villages move at different speeds, so ask for the village level figure for yours.
From the last ten comparable units that actually closed in your town on MLS PIN, adjusted for condition, parking, outdoor space, laundry and which utilities are included. Not from the highest asking rent on Zillow, which is what most owners anchor to and what makes a unit sit. We set the price to lease inside the first two weeks and we agree the reduction trigger with you before the listing goes live.
Because the process is built to produce a full field of verified applicants in the first weekend of showings. Pricing to closed rentals keeps the ask honest in both directions, grouped showings let applicants see the competition so offers come in at asking or above, and identical screening for everyone means you choose from people who all cleared the same bar. Owners tell us afterward that it leased faster, for more, and to a tenant they would have picked themselves.
The party who hired the broker pays. Since August 1, 2025, M.G.L. c. 112 § 87DDD½ requires that a rental broker’s fee be paid by whoever engaged that broker, so if you list your unit with us, the fee is yours and not your tenant’s. It cannot be renamed as an admin or leasing fee, and it cannot be built into the rent as reimbursement. An owner who gets this wrong can be liable for up to three times the amount charged plus attorney’s fees.
First month’s rent, last month’s rent, a security deposit of no more than one month’s rent, and the actual cost of a new lock and key. That is the full list under M.G.L. c. 186 § 15B. Application fees, holding deposits, upfront pet deposits, cleaning fees and amenity fees are all prohibited, and the security deposit has to be held in a separate Massachusetts bank account with interest paid to the tenant every year.
Nothing unless the unit leases. The fee is quoted per property once we have walked it, because a turnkey two bedroom and an occupied three family are not the same job. It is negotiable, and we put the amount and who is paying it in writing before anyone signs. If cost is the only thing stopping you from calling, call anyway.
Sixty to ninety days before the lease start date. This market runs on a September 1 turnover cycle, so most September tenants commit between May and July, which means a September 1 unit should be live by early June. Listing early does not earn a higher rent, according to our analysis of 868 closed rentals, but it does get you a deeper tenant pool and no vacancy gap.
If the building was built before 1978, yes, at minimum on paper. Massachusetts requires you to give every prospective tenant the Tenant Lead Law Notification and certification form before a lease is signed, along with any lead inspection report or Letter of Compliance you have. If a child under six will live in the unit, it has to be deleaded or brought under interim control, and refusing a family with a young child to avoid that is illegal.
Yes. Massachusetts law prohibits refusing a tenant based on lawful source of income, including Section 8 and MRVP, and we market and screen every qualified applicant on identical terms regardless of how the rent is paid. We will walk you through how the voucher inspection and approval timeline actually works so nothing about it surprises you.
Submit a few details we'll reach out.
P.S. We'll call immediately so stay by your phone.
PH Realty Group is a licensed Massachusetts real estate brokerage, broker license 9630770-RE-LC, and a member of MLS PIN, the MLS that powers the Greater Boston market. Your rental is handled by a named local team led by broker Ethan Piani-Hohmann, not handed off to a call center or a national lead service. Meet the team, or read what owners and renters have to say in our client reviews.
