Three Success Stories as a Landlord Lawyer

As a landlord lawyer, I’ve had the pleasure of representing numerous Massachusetts landlords with their disputes against tenants. As an attorney who has represented landlords and tenants, I have experience with both sides of these legal disputes.

Here, I want to discuss three success stories that I’ve had as a landlord lawyer.

Working Out a Repayment Plan for Unpaid Rent

One of the best ways to succeed in a landlord-tenant dispute is to keep the matter out of court in the first place.

My client owned a condominium in the Greater Boston area, and was owed a large amount of rent from his tenants. The client hired me to start an eviction against the tenant.

Prior to starting the eviction, however, I reached out to the tenants to discuss a repayment plan. I was able to reach an agreement with the tenants to avoid a court proceeding and get my client repaid his money.

What’s the lesson of this? Keeping matters out of court is almost always the best outcome for landlords and tenants. In this case, my client recovered his rent and the tenants avoided an eviction.

Initiating An Eviction for A Tenant Who Doesn’t Plan To Leave An Apartment At the End of a Lease

When a lease is over, a tenant is suppose to leave the rental property (if the landlord doesn’t want them to stay). If the tenant remains, the landlord needs to evict.

Massachusetts law, however, has a lesser known provision that allows a landlord to start an eviction case before the end of the lease, if it is clear that the tenant has no plans to leave.

I represented a landlord whose tenant had no plans to leave at the end of the lease. Rather than wait until this happened, I took advantage of this law and filed the eviction right away. Doing so saved my client time, and got the matter to court (and to a resolution) as quickly as possible. Given that the eviction process in Massachusetts can be lengthy, starting as soon as possible is to the landlord’s benefit.

Protecting a Landlord’s Property From a Disruptive Tenant

In my practice as a landlord lawyer, I sometimes come across landlord-tenant disputes that are about more than just unpaid rent.

In this case, I represented a landlord who needed possession of his apartment. Prior to the start of the eviction, we learned that the tenants were damaging the property.

My response was to request a temporary restraining order (“TRO”). This court order, which is a form of injunctive relief, asks the court for an immediate order preventing a party from doing something. This is allowed for a case of irreparable harm, where the damage cannot be fixed simply by payment of money at the end of the case.

In this case, the court granted my TRO. Doing so helped bring the case to a prompt resolution.

Conclusion

My work as a landlord lawyer is rewarding, and I like nothing better than getting a great result for my clients. If you need help with a landlord-tenant matter, contact me for a consultation.