Listing / leasing fee
Flat $499
The one cost you fully control. Traditionally a full month’s rent (~$2,800–$3,300 in Waltham); with Luna Realty, a flat one-time $499 — and since 2025 this is the owner’s cost, not the tenant’s.
Luna Realty · Owner Cost Guide
What does it cost to rent out your apartment or condo?
In Massachusetts, the one cost you fully control is the listing fee. Traditionally that was a full month’s rent — and since the 2025 law, it is your cost, not the tenant’s. With Luna Realty it is a flat one-time $499, paid only when your unit rents.
Listing fee: a flat $499, not a month’s rent
Below: an honest breakdown of what renting out a unit really costs — and where the flat fee saves you the most.
The real cost breakdown
What owners actually pay to rent out a unit — and how much of it the flat $499 already covers.
Getting it rent-ready
Varies
Paint, cleaning, minor repairs, and small fixes between tenants. Highly unit-dependent — a light turnover is modest; a full make-ready costs more. We flag the high-ROI fixes and skip the ones that don’t move rent.
Photography & marketing
Included in $499
Strong photos and syndication are the biggest levers on days-on-market. With Luna Realty these are part of the flat fee, so there is no separate marketing bill.
Vacancy (the hidden cost)
Varies
The most expensive line item is usually an empty unit. Every week vacant is rent you never recover, which is why correct pricing and fast, wide exposure matter more than shaving a few dollars anywhere else.
Screening & lease prep
Included in $499
Credit and income verification, references, and a compliant Massachusetts lease with deposits handled to code. Part of the flat fee, not an add-on.
The listing fee is the cost you can actually change
Prep, repairs, and vacancy are real, but they depend on your building and your timing — there is a limit to how much you can compress them without cutting corners. The listing fee is different. It is a fixed, negotiable, one-time number, and for years it defaulted to the single most expensive option available: a full month’s rent.
On a Waltham apartment renting at $3,000, a month’s listing fee is $3,000. The same unit listed with Luna Realty costs a flat $499 — roughly $2,500 back in your pocket on that one lease, for the same full-service work: pricing, syndication to the portals renters use, showings, screening, and a compliant lease. Multiply that across a small portfolio or a couple of turnovers a year and the flat fee is the biggest, easiest saving available to a Massachusetts landlord.
Since August 1, 2025, this saving matters even more, because the listing fee can no longer be pushed onto the tenant when you are the one who hired the broker. It is your cost now — so the smart move is to keep it small.
Cost questions, answered
How much does it cost to rent out an apartment in Massachusetts?
The one cost you fully control is the listing fee. Traditionally that was a full month’s rent — around $2,800 to $3,300 on a typical Waltham unit — and since the 2025 law it is the owner’s cost, not the tenant’s. With Luna Realty it is a flat, one-time $499, which covers pricing, syndication, showings, screening, and a compliant lease. Beyond that, your other costs are prep/turnover and any vacancy, both of which vary by unit.
Is the listing fee really the landlord’s cost now?
Yes. Under the Massachusetts law effective August 1, 2025, the party who hires the broker pays the fee. When you hire the listing broker, you cannot pass that fee to the tenant — so it belongs on your cost sheet. That is precisely why a flat $499 beats a month’s rent: same responsibility, a fraction of the number.
What does the $499 actually include?
The full leasing cycle: pricing from live comps, professional listing and syndication to Zillow, Apartments.com, and rentluna.com, showings, applicant screening, and a compliant Massachusetts lease with deposits handled correctly. It is one flat fee, not a base price with surprises stacked on top.
Do I pay the $499 upfront?
No. There is no upfront charge and no monthly retainer. You sign the exclusive listing agreement at no cost and the $499 is due only once the unit is rented and the lease is signed.
What about prep, repairs, and vacancy — how much are those?
Those genuinely vary by property and condition, so we won’t quote a fake number. A light turnover between good tenants is modest; a full make-ready is more. The biggest cost to watch is vacancy — an empty unit — which is why we focus on pricing it right and marketing it widely so it leases fast.
Rent it out for a flat $499
One flat, one-time fee for the full leasing cycle — paid only when your unit rents. Keep the month’s rent a broker would have taken.
481 Main St, Waltham, MA 02451 · Broker/Owner Joshua Stone