I know you can't say "no children" as it's discrimination, but I believe you can state Adults Only. Is this true? Also is it different from state-to-state? I'm located in in MA

I know you can't say "no blacks" as it's discrimination, but I believe you can state Whites Only. Is this true? How's that sound to you? You have not found some magical loophole. You will get sued and lose.

Some units are exempt from discrimination, like owner-occupied. So, depending on the unit, you may be exempt. You'll have to look up the laws that pertain to your property on that.

If you already have a unit that is large enough to house kids or a large number of people, and you'd rather not, there are other ways to market the property. For instance, is it near a college and you'd be okay with renting rooms to students? In my experience, law students are amazing. Can you rent rooms to law students? I've also heard that medical students are the same. Renting to AirBnB, even to families, can result in less damage, because you get in there and clean, etc., more often. Maybe rent to temp nurses who will typically only rent for 3 months at a time, even rent out just rooms to temp nurses. They travel alone, or maybe with a pet, from what I have learned. It's also not illegal to only advertise in certain places. For instance, after I decided I loved law students, I worked out a deal with the law school nearby to advertise on their facebook page and I also only then advertised on the graduate student website for that college. And, I offered a $100 rent credit to any existing law student tenants who found me another law student to rent to when I had vacancies. There are legal options.

LOL! Ok, so much for my rookie post... Thanks for the wise insights Greg

Only if you like paying the government a lot of fines and going to fair housing trainings on your days off

The fair housing act strictly prohibits discrimination, wording it differently is still discrimination. We would not recommend you to advertise your rental property with "adults only."

@Matt Sullivan sounds like a tangled mess. Have you honestly looked into deleading the apartment. There are companies that will do this sort of work. They shave the paint down to bare wood and then you let your painter go to work. I personally prefer to just replace all the woodwork when buying a vacant rental property. It’s just feasible to replace all the woodwork sometimes. It might sound crazy to some, but I prefer to replace all the doors and woodwork because I would rather have standard doors and standard trim. If damage occurs it is so much easier to slap in a pre-hung door than spend all day trying to carve a door to fit a crazy weird opening. For the baseboards I pull the existing and replace with 1x6 pine with quarter round on top for that fancy touch. I’m going through this in a property in Springfield, Ma. Lady tenant is pregnant and house needs deleaded. It has way to much woodwork to feasibility replace so going with a company to strip the paint this time. No time like the present. It will bite you in the ass eventually. Option 2 is sell the property and make this some others guys problem.

Just pick those prospects fit your requirement.

@Matt Sullivan @Avery Heilbron we meet again in yet another MA post. Gotta LOVE Massachusetts. This is such a tenant-friendly state said NO ONE EVER!! Here are a few of the Massachusetts laws, rules, and regulations, and a few Federal ones your property manager should be aware of, and understand to avoid possible problems between tenants, municipalities, and lawyers (not that they are bad people at all): • Tenant/Landlord Law MGL 186 ss15B; 93a; 139 ss19 • Housing Discrimination Law: Title VIII of Civil Rights Amendment of 1968 • Information Protection Act: 201 CMR 17.00 & 93H • State Sanitary Code 780 CMR • State Building Code 105 CMR 410 • International Building Code (IBC) • International Energy Code (IBC energy Code) • American Disabilities Act Good starting points:Offense: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-law-about-landlord-and-tenantDefense: https://www.mass.gov/guides/the-attorney-generals-guide-to-landlord-and-tenant-rights Some light reading to keep you out of court rooms... ENJOY!!!

@Matt Sullivan, Saying no kids is a quick invitation to get sued. Your state is VERY pro-tenant, so be careful. We don't want to see you on the news for being made an example of how serious discrimination is taken there! If you have 1 bad tenant, honestly I'd end their lease or do a quick cash for keys.

Can I put "Adult's Only" within a Lease Agreement?Can I put "Adult's Only" within a Lease Agreement?

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Can I put "Adult's Only" within a Lease Agreement?

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