RentEngine Leads Adoption of New Fee Transparency Laws

New consumer protection laws in Colorado, Connecticut and Massachusetts now require that any advertised rent include and prominently displays the total monthly cost a prospective tenant will pay, not just the base rent. This shift is designed to prevent “drip pricing” and hidden fees that surprise renters late in the process.

To support these legal changes, we’ve updated all RentEngine syndication feeds and our listing widget so that your listings automatically meet these new requirements.

Plus, major listing networks like Zillow and Apartments.com are updating how rental pricing is displayed, introducing “Total Price” badges that show the all-in cost upfront in these regulated states.

When and where these laws took effect

These rent transparency rules were introduced as part of broader consumer protection efforts:

• Massachusetts began requiring total price disclosure in rental listings on September 2, 2025.

• Connecticut’s requirement for total price inclusion kicked in on October 1, 2025.

• Colorado’s new pricing law (HB 25-1090), signed in April 2025, took effect on January 1, 2026 and mandates that advertised rent reflect all mandatory costs as a single “total price.”

These rules require housing providers to include not just base rent but every required fee in the advertised price. This figure needs to be displayed prominently above any other pricing figure.

What are “mandatory fees”?

So, what belongs in the total price?

Typical examples include:

• Base rent

• Mandatory monthly utilities or service charges (e.g., trash, recycling, or water fees)

• Required amenity fees

• Resident benefits, technology, or billing fees

• Mandatory parking charges

Optional or situational costs such as pet fees (when pets are optional), utilities billed by third parties based on consumption, one-time admin fees, or storage can be shown separately as long as you’re upfront about them.

What the industry is doing

Listing platforms are actively updating their systems to meet these new laws, including:

• Zillow, with its new Total Price display and badge system to help comply with state regulations.

• Apartments.com is updating price displays and fee disclosures in impacted states.

• Realtor.com, Zumper, and Rent.com are also working on similar compliance enhancements and fee transparency updates to align with regulatory expectations.

With RentEngine’s updated syndication feeds, your listings will:

• Display the legally required total monthly cost

• Reduce renter confusion and surprise fees

• Sync seamlessly with major ILS networks’ new requirements

Our support team is ready to help if you have questions about this feature or need help confirming fee fields in your listings.