Key Takeaways
- For rental properties, transparent pricing means that a property manager advertises the total monthly price of a rental, including base rent and required fees, in property listings.
- Adopting an all-in pricing structure improves a property manager’s lead quality, builds trust between landlords and renters, reduces disputes with renters, and attracts more renters overall.
- Minnesota, Virginia, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Nevada, and Colorado have all passed laws requiring property managers to display the total price of a rental in a property listing.
- An Apartments.com analysis shows that properties that have adopted the all-in pricing structure get more listing views and higher quality leads from renters who have already accepted the total price and are more likely to sign a lease.
A wave of state legislation is reshaping how landlords must advertise and disclose rental pricing. If you own or manage a rental property, chances are these laws already apply to you or will soon. Here’s what you need to know to stay compliant and protect your business.
What Is All-In Pricing?
All-in pricing, also called transparent pricing or total price advertising, means that the price displayed in a rental listing reflects everything a tenant is required to pay on a regular basis, not just the base rent.
Listing base rent and mandatory fees separately was standard practice for years, but that approach is now under legal scrutiny. State legislatures are requiring that charges like amenity fees, technology fees, trash and recycling fees, and parking all be rolled into a single displayed price before a prospective tenant applies or signs anything.
Why Disclose Fees Upfront?
Aside from legal compliance, the business case for price transparency is strong.
Price transparency improves lead quality
Amenity fees, utility fees, trash and recycling charges, and parking can add up quickly, and many renters don’t discover the full cost until they tour a property or apply for a rental.
When total pricing is visible from the start, the people who reach out have already accepted the real number. They’re not going to negotiate down from it or feel trapped after signing. That alignment tends to set a more cooperative tone for the entire tenancy.
Price transparency builds trust
Renters are making a decision about who they’re going to live under contract with for a year or more. A listing that shows all fees upfront communicates something about the property manager’s character and honesty toward renters.
Trust that’s built over a tenancy tends to compound. A renter who felt informed and respected from day one is more likely to renew, more likely to leave a positive review, and more likely to recommend the property to other renters, all of which reduce vacancy costs for the property manager.
Price transparency reduces disputes
A significant share of tenant-landlord conflict traces back to fee disagreements. When fees are disclosed with context before a lease is signed, tenants have less grounds to contest them later on and less reason to feel wronged when they show up on a bill.
Renters prefer price transparency
The demand for all-in pricing is clear. According to an April 2026 Apartments.com survey, 81% of renters prefer to see the total price including all fees rather than just base rent. The same survey found that 52% of renters would stop considering a rental altogether if hidden fees pushed the total cost above what was originally advertised.
Which States Have Passed Price Transparency Laws?
Across the country, a growing number of states have responded to renter frustration by passing legislation that mandates clear, upfront fee disclosure.
The following states have passed price transparency legislature for residential rental real estate:
Here’s a breakdown of what each state requires.
Minnesota
Legislation: Minn. Stat. § 504B.120
Effective date: Jan. 1, 2024
Minnesota got there first. Since the beginning of 2024, all non-optional fees must appear alongside rent in listings and on the first page of the lease. If you operate in Minnesota, you should already be in compliance, but if you haven’t revisited your listings and lease templates recently, now is a good time to confirm that all mandatory fees are surfaced at both the search and lease stages.
Compliance tips for landlords in Minnesota
Confirm your listings display all non-optional fees alongside rent. Verify that your lease template surfaces required fees on page one.
Virginia
Legislation: Virginia Code § 55.1-1204.1
Effective date: July 1, 2025
Virginia’s update to the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act requires that every written lease entered into, extended, or renewed on or after July 1, 2025, begin with a specific itemized disclosure on the first page. That itemization must include the security deposit, the rent amount per payment period, and any one-time charges due before the lease starts or in the first payment.
The lease must also include state-mandated language immediately above this itemized list stating that no additional security deposits or rent will be charged unless listed in that section or added through a signed written addendum.
Companion legislation (§ 55.1-1204) prohibits landlords from charging tenants a processing fee for rent, security deposit, or other payments unless they offer at least one alternative payment method that carries no fee.
Compliance tips for landlords in Virginia
Update all lease templates to place the required itemized disclosure on page one, with the mandated statement above it. Review your payment processing fee practices and ensure a fee-free option is available.
Massachusetts
Legislation: 940 CMR 38.000
Effective date: Sept. 2, 2025
Massachusetts approached this as a broad consumer protection matter. The Attorney General’s regulations require all businesses in the state—landlords included—to clearly disclose the total price of a transaction, including all fees, interest, charges, and other costs necessary to complete the transaction.
For property managers, this means rental advertising must lead with total pricing and all fees must be identified by nature and purpose. Landlords must disclose all charges before collecting any personal information from a prospective tenant.
Compliance tips for landlords in Massachusetts
Review your online listings and any advertising materials for your property. Ensure that your listing discloses all fees with explanations. Update your application flow if personal data collection currently precedes full fee disclosure.
Connecticut
Legislation: Public Act No. 25-44 (Sec. 9)
Effective date: Oct. 1, 2025
Connecticut’s law requires property managers to advertise the total price of a rental that renters are expected to pay on a periodic basis. Notably, the law also requires that potentially waivable fees must be included in the advertised price.
Certain fees are excepted from the upfront disclosure requirement, like pet fees or deposits, utilities, and damage charges. Optional add-ons like covered parking can be excluded from the displayed total only if the landlord provides clear notice and discloses the costs before any agreement is signed.
The law also mandates that written leases entered into on or after April 1, 2026, include on the first page a completed copy of the Department of Housing’s Rental Terms Summary Form, provided in both English and Spanish.
Compliance tips for landlords in Connecticut
Update your rental listing to show the total price of your rental including all fees renters will be expected to pay. Save a copy of the Rental Terms Summary Form to complete and provide to every new tenant. Verify that optional services are clearly distinguished from required services in all advertising.
Nevada
Legislation: Assembly Bill 121
Effective date: Oct. 1, 2025
Nevada’s law is one of the most operationally demanding in the country. Every rental listing, lease agreement, and social media ad must display a single, all-inclusive figure. This number must represent the highest possible monthly amount a tenant could be charged, combining base rent with all recurring fees, including pet fees and parking fees. Property managers cannot charge a tenant any amount above this disclosed total.
The only exception to this rule is utility billing, but only if the utility company cannot contract directly with the tenant or if the rental unit is subject to a master-metered water system.
The law also requires landlords to offer tenants at least one method of paying rent that doesn’t require a fee or the disclosure of bank account information, such as by check. For online payments, landlords may only pass along fees equal to what the portal provider charges, and those fees must be itemized in the lease. Landlords who advertise deceptive pricing can face civil penalties of up to $250 per violation plus attorney’s fees.
Compliance tips for Nevada landlords
Recalculate your advertised rent as a single maximum total figure and update your lease templates to reflect the maximum total periodic rent framework. Review online payment processing fees to ensure they are not marked up above cost and confirm you offer a fee-free payment option.
Colorado
Legislation: House Bill 25-1090
Effective date: Jan. 1, 2026
Colorado’s law is among the most comprehensive in the country and applies across industries, but its impact on rental housing is substantial. When advertising a unit, you must display a single total price that captures every mandatory cost more prominently than any other pricing information.
The law also regulates fees themselves, not just their disclosure. For lease terms of one year or less, non-utility fees cannot increase by more than 2% during the term. If you pass along third-party service costs like trash pickup, pest control, or internet, any markup cannot exceed the lesser of 2% of the service cost or $10 per month. You also cannot charge tenants for common area maintenance.
Compliance tips for landlords in Colorado
Audit every fee you currently charge and update lease templates, billing addenda, and all advertising materials. Consult an attorney if you’re uncertain whether specific fees are permissible under the new framework.
Price Transparency on Apartments.com
As state laws multiply, Apartments.com has been paving the way for both renters and property managers to navigate the new landscape.
Apartments.com has expanded the all-in pricing feature to all properties across the United States, not just those in states with legal mandates. For landlords in regulated states, this is a straightforward path to compliance in your listings. For landlords elsewhere, it’s a competitive advantage.
Properties with the Total Monthly Price badge rank higher in search results and attract better quality leads. Renters who have already seen and accepted the full price are less likely to drop off during the application process.
As state-level transparency mandates continue to expand and federal attention on hidden fees grows, the expectation is clear: renters deserve to know what they’ll actually pay. Whether required by law or adopted voluntarily, all-in pricing is becoming the new standard.
How are renters reacting?
According to a recent analysis, properties with the Total Monthly Price badge saw, on average, an 18% increase in search impressions, a 4% increase in click throughs, and a 4% increase in total time spent on a listing page. The data also shows a 6% decrease in applications, a 1% decrease in tours booked, and a 2% increase in total leads.
While property managers are only seeing slight fluctuations in incoming leads, the leads they are getting are of higher quality. Renters are making more informed decisions after spending more time on a listing page, making their tour and application requests more intentional.
How to List Fees on Apartments.com
When you list a property on Apartments.com with Rental Tools, you’ll only be able to add a parking fee by editing your listing and scrolling down to the “Parking” section of the “Amenities” page. Your listing will default to our all-in pricing structure with a “Total Monthly Price” badge, so make sure you factor expenses like utilities and maintenance into your advertised rent price if you don’t require tenants to set up utilities independently.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult qualified legal counsel for guidance specific to your properties and jurisdiction.
Methodology
The data in this article regarding renters’ preference for all-in pricing was sourced from the Apartments.com Renter Survey conducted in April 2026. The data regarding the effectiveness of the Total Monthly Price badge was sourced from Datawarehouse and Google Analytics and compares July 6 to August 2, 2025 over February 1 to 28, 2026.
