Earlier this year, I received a great decision in an eviction case I brought on behalf of a small, owner-occupied landlord. While many resources are available on no-cause and non-payment of rent evictions, the rules about cause evictions are less more »
A recent WBUR article discusses the lengthy (and often expensive) process landlords must go through to evict a tenant. Unfortunately, this story is not unusual: I have seen many landlords spend considerable time in the eviction process due to some more »
The legal process of obtaining possession of rental property always requires a landlord to bring a formal court case against a tenant, known as an eviction (formally referred to as “summary process” in Massachusetts). However, filing an eviction alone does more »
Every Massachusetts landlord needs to know and follow the important topic of when to return a security deposit. The seemingly minor mistake of not returning a security deposit in a timely manner can incur enormous penalties for landlords. Security Deposit more »
New Housing Court rules will take effect in June 2023, changing how this trial court operates. Since the pandemic, Housing Court has significantly changed its court procedures and operations. Many of these changes, in my opinion, have been long overdue. more »
Several weeks ago, the Supreme Judicial Court issued an important decision concerning eviction settlement agreements. The full decision, Darcey v. Burgess, is included below. The facts of the case are fairly straightforward. A tenant filed a lawsuit in Housing Court more »
Housing Court Specialist Status Conferences are one of the many changes to the court system during and after the pandemic. In this post, I’ll discuss the roles of these conferences in the Massachusetts eviction process. Eviction Overview In Massachusetts (like more »
The Appeals Court issued an interesting decision last week about the important landlord-tenant topic of how to return a security deposit. The decision, Slater v. Traynor Management, is included below. Massachusetts law covers nearly every aspect of a landlord’s acceptance, more »
The Boston Globe interviewed me last week on negotiating a lease and whether this can (and should) be done. In my opinion, lease negotiations are possible. Here, I’ll discuss some tips for both landlords and tenants. Please note that I more »
Landlord rights is a topic that I often get asked about, usually by landlords themselves in frustration over Massachusetts landlord-tenant laws. While tenant rights are more commonly known by those involved in landlord-tenant law, landlords certainly have rights of their more »
