Devarshi Patel · Keller Williams

Realtor in Allston-Brighton, MA — Buying and Renting

A Keller Williams agent working in Allston and Brighton, for renters as much as buyers. These are Boston neighbourhoods, so Boston's tax rules apply — but functionally this is a rental market first, and that changes what the work looks like.

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Allston-Brighton at a glance

Residential exemption: Offered to owner-occupants Apply by April 1. Confirm the current amount with the assessing department.
Transit: Green Line B branch · Boston Landing (Commuter Rail) · MBTA bus MBTA
County: Suffolk County
Housing stock: Heavily rental, with large numbers of student tenants and a supply of two- and three-family houses that draws first-time multifamily buyers.

Figures come from the municipal and statutory sources linked above and are reproduced for orientation, not as advice. Confirm anything you plan to rely on with the assessing department, your lender and your attorney.

Boston's tax rules, a rental market's rhythm.

Allston and Brighton are Boston neighbourhoods, so the City of Boston residential exemption and its April 1 deadline apply. But the area runs on the 1 September lease turnover, which makes it the part of Greater Boston where the 2025 broker-fee change matters most.

The rental calendar here is unusually concentrated. A large share of leases begin on 1 September, which pulls searching forward into the spring and early summer and makes timing a real constraint rather than a preference. The 2025 change to how broker fees are charged — the party who hires the broker pays the fee — altered what a tenant is asked for at move-in, and a good deal of published guidance still describes the old arrangement.

For buyers, the stock is heavily two- and three-family, which draws first-time multifamily purchasers. Owner-occupancy is the test for Boston's exemption: an investor-owned unit in the same building does not qualify. The Allston-Brighton buyer guide has the detail.

How the work usually starts.

With whether you are renting, buying to live in, or buying to let — because in this part of the city those are three genuinely different transactions rather than three versions of one.

A renter's constraint is the calendar. A first-time multifamily buyer's constraint is usually the arithmetic of being a landlord and an owner-occupier at once. An investor's constraint is that the exemption does not apply. Getting the category right first saves a lot of wasted looking.

If what you actually need is to understand what a Massachusetts landlord may lawfully charge at move-in, that is a closed statutory list — first month, last month, a security deposit capped at one month, and the actual cost of a new lock and key. Nothing else is permitted, whatever it is called.

Languages

Devarshi works in English, Hindi, Gujarati. If you would rather have the conversation in Hindi or Gujarati, say so in your first note — it is a working language here, not a line on a profile.

Questions about working with a realtor in Allston-Brighton

Are Allston and Brighton part of Boston?

Yes. They are Boston neighbourhoods, so the City of Boston's residential exemption, its April 1 filing deadline and the city's assessing rules all apply here.

What can a landlord charge me at move-in?

Massachusetts law permits exactly four things: first month's rent, last month's rent, a security deposit capped at one month's rent, and the actual cost of a new lock and key. Application fees, pet fees, cleaning fees and administrative fees are not permitted, whatever they are labelled.

What changed about broker fees in 2025?

The party who hires the broker pays the fee. A tenant who engages their own broker still pays that broker, but a tenant shown an apartment by the landlord's broker should not be charged for it. Guidance written before August 2025 still commonly tells renters to budget four months upfront.

Why does 1 September matter so much here?

A large share of Greater Boston leases begin on that date, and Allston-Brighton is the epicentre of it. Demand concentrates in the preceding months, inventory moves quickly, and searching outside that window means both less choice and less competition.

Does the residential exemption apply to a rental unit I own?

No. Owner-occupancy is the test — you must own and occupy the property as your primary residence. An investor-owned unit does not qualify, even in a building where the owner-occupied unit next door does.

What languages does Devarshi speak?

English, Hindi and Gujarati. If you would rather have the conversation in Hindi or Gujarati, say so in your first note.

Thinking about a move in Allston and Brighton?

Send your timing, your rough price range if you have one, and whether you are buying, selling or renting.