Listing availability disclaimer

Fall River rentals move fast. An apartment advertised on this site or any syndicated platform may no longer be available by the time you see the listing. Listings are updated as quickly as possible, but applications, showings, and approvals happen daily — sometimes within hours of a unit going live.

Before you tour or apply, please confirm current availability with us by phone or text at 508-691-8035, or by clicking the apply link on the listing — our scheduling system shows real-time availability and will let you know if the unit is still open.

We do not hold units off-market while applications are being reviewed. The first qualified, complete application that meets the owner’s screening criteria is typically approved.

Application fee — it’s $0

Fortified Realty Group does not charge applicants an application fee, tenant screening fee, credit report fee, or background check fee. There is no cost to submit an application for any Fortified rental. We absorb the screening cost as a cost of doing business.

Massachusetts law prohibits up-front application fees, broker fees (when the broker is hired by the landlord), and pet fees. We follow that law and we believe charging applicants to apply was bad practice anyway — so we stopped.

How tenant screening works

If your application advances in our review process, you authorize Fortified Realty Group, the property owner, and their agents to obtain tenant screening and consumer reports for housing purposes. These reports may include:

• Credit history
• Rental history
• Eviction and court records (subject to the sealed-record rules below)
• Income and employment verification
• Landlord references

If anything in a screening report is unclear, incomplete, or appears inaccurate, you’ll be given an opportunity to provide an explanation or supporting documentation before a final decision is made. Real life is messy and we’d rather hear your context than let a single line on a report make the decision.

If a credit or screening report contributes to a decision to deny your application, require a cosigner, or rent at a higher rate than advertised, we’ll send you a written adverse action notice that includes the screening company’s name and contact info, your right to a free copy of the report within 60 days, your right to dispute the report, and a copy of the FTC’s Summary of Your Rights Under the FCRA.

Move-in costs — what we can and cannot charge

Massachusetts law caps move-in money to four specific items. We don’t collect anything beyond these four items at lease signing.

1. First month’s rent
2. Last month’s rent (if required for the unit — listed on the listing — cannot exceed one month’s rent)
3. Security deposit (if required for the unit — listed on the listing — cannot exceed one month’s rent)
4. Lock and key cost (actual cost only)

That’s it. We do not collect application fees, holding fees, broker fees, pet fees, pet deposits, “move-in fees,” “admin fees,” or any other up-front charges at lease signing. Each individual listing shows the exact dollar amounts for that unit.

Reference: M.G.L. c.186 §15B; MA AG Guide p.14.

Monthly rent and the Resident Benefits Package

The monthly rent shown on every Fortified listing is the full all-in monthly cost. We do not advertise a low number and add fees on top.

Where applicable, the advertised monthly rent includes the Fortified Resident Benefits Package (RBP) at $40/month. The RBP is part of your monthly lease package, not a surprise add-on. It’s disclosed to you before you submit personal information, included in your lease, and tied to recurring services we actually provide.

What the RBP includes

• Renters insurance coverage
• Credit building — your on-time rent payments are reported to the credit bureaus, helping you build credit while you rent
• Identity protection
• Utility concierge / move-in coordination
• Maintenance support and after-hours response
• HVAC filter delivery (where applicable)
• Resident rewards program

The RBP is administered through Second Nature (secondnature.com). Your lease will list “rent” and “Resident Benefits Package” as separate line items for accounting clarity, but the total monthly housing cost is the advertised rent. There are no surprise additions after signing.

For owner-only listings (units we lease but don’t fully manage): the RBP doesn’t apply. The listing will indicate this clearly.

Renters insurance

Most landlords — including the owners we manage for — require tenants to carry renters insurance as a condition of the lease. We can’t quote you a price because the cost varies based on your coverage limits, deductibles, location, claim history, and credit profile, but we want you to walk in knowing the basics.

For Fortified-managed units, basic renters insurance coverage is included as part of the Resident Benefits Package described above. For owner-only listings, you’ll typically need to bring your own policy to lease signing.

How to get it (the easy way)

Most renters insurance is bought directly from the same company that handles your auto insurance. Bundling renters with auto almost always gets you a multi-policy discount, and policies are usually fast to bind — often the same day, sometimes in under an hour.

Why it’s worth carrying even when it’s not required

• Your stuff is yours, not the landlord’s. The building’s insurance covers the building. It does not cover your furniture, electronics, clothing, or anything else in the unit if there’s a fire, burst pipe, theft, or smoke damage from a neighbor’s apartment.
• Liability protection. If your dog bites a guest, your bathtub overflows into the unit below, or someone gets hurt in your apartment, renters insurance can cover the resulting claim instead of it landing on you personally.
• Loss-of-use coverage. If your unit becomes uninhabitable (fire, flood, etc.), most policies pay for a hotel and meals while you’re displaced — which adds up fast in Fall River and the South Coast.
• It’s typically cheap. Renters insurance is one of the lowest-cost insurance products on the market. Bundled with auto, the incremental cost is often modest.

We don’t sell insurance and we don’t get a commission on it. We just think it’s a good thing to have, and your lease will most likely require it.

Broker fees

Where Fortified Realty Group is engaged by the property owner as the listing or leasing broker, the tenant pays no broker fee. Under Massachusetts law (effective August 1, 2025), a broker retained by the landlord may not charge the tenant a broker fee.

If a unit is being marketed under a different arrangement — for example, a tenant-engaged broker — that will be disclosed clearly on the listing before any cost is owed.

Reference: MA AG Guide p.8.

Lead paint — pre-1978 buildings

Most of the buildings we manage in Fall River were built before 1978. Massachusetts law requires landlords to provide a Tenant Lead Law Notification and Tenant Certification form to prospective tenants of any unit built before 1978.

If a child under six will occupy the unit, the landlord is required to delead the unit or maintain interim lead control. A Massachusetts landlord may not refuse to rent to a family with children under six because of the presence of lead paint. Doing so is unlawful discrimination.

The required Lead Law Notification packet will be provided to you at lease signing along with any applicable Letter of Compliance, Letter of Interim Control, or inspection report on file. Where a unit’s lead paint status is shown as “unknown” on the listing, we will provide all available documentation at lease signing and will not refuse to rent to families with young children. If you have questions before lease signing, ask us — we’ll get you the docs.

You can read the official notification form here: MA Tenant Lead Law Notification Form (PDF).

Reference: MA AG Guide p.16 (PDF).

Equal housing and source of income

Fortified Realty Group does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, familial status (including children), national origin, ancestry, age, disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or source of income — including Section 8 / Housing Choice Vouchers, MRVP, RAFT, and other rental assistance programs.

Applicants using rental subsidies are evaluated on the same standards as all other applicants. Rent-to-income ratios are applied only to the portion of rent the tenant is responsible for, not the subsidy portion.

If you believe you’ve been treated unfairly by us — or by anyone — you can file a complaint with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) or HUD. We’ll never retaliate against an applicant or tenant for filing a fair housing complaint.

Reference: M.G.L. c.151B; MA AG Guide p.10, p.21.

Sealed eviction records

Massachusetts allows certain eviction records to be sealed by court order. If you have a sealed eviction record under section 16 of chapter 239 of the General Laws, you may answer “no record” on our application when asked about prior evictions. We will not penalize you for a sealed record and we don’t expect you to disclose it.