Cal. Civ. Code § 15A
Waiver of notices; lease or rental agreement provisions; validity
Operative Text
Section 15A. Any provision of a lease or other rental agreement relating to residential real property whereby a lessee or tenant enters into a covenant, agreement or contract, by the use of any words whatsoever, the effect of which is to waive the notices required under section eleven or twelve, shall be deemed to be against public policy and void.
Mass. Gen. Laws c. 186 § 15A establishes that any clause in a residential lease or rental agreement that operates to waive the notice requirements found in sections 11 or 12 of the same chapter is considered contrary to public policy and has no legal force. The rule applies regardless of the specific wording used to accomplish the waiver — the effect of the clause, not its label, determines whether it is void. In practice, this means the statutory notice protections cannot be contracted away through lease language, no matter how the agreement is drafted.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under Mass. Gen. Laws c. 186 § 15A, compliant residential landlords and property managers ensure that their lease agreements do not contain clauses that purport to have tenants give up the notice rights established under sections 11 or 12. Because the statute voids such provisions based on their practical effect rather than their exact wording, operators generally review lease templates carefully to confirm that no provision — however phrased — functions as a waiver of those required notices. Relying on a waiver clause to avoid providing statutory notice is not a recognized compliance path under this provision.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Mass. Gen. Laws c. 186 § 15A means that even if a tenant signed a lease containing language that appeared to waive the notice protections under sections 11 or 12, that language carries no legal weight and the statutory notice rights remain intact. Tenants who believe a landlord has relied on such a waiver clause to avoid providing required notices may have grounds to raise the provision's invalidity — for example, as a defense in a court proceeding or by filing a complaint with a relevant local or state housing authority. Tenant-rights organizations and legal aid offices can help explain how this provision interacts with a specific lease situation.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated September 13, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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