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 »
Commercial leases are often very different than leases used for residential property. Compared to residential landlord-tenant law, which comes with a myriad of rules and regulations on almost every part of the rental process, commercial landlord-tenant law allows parties much more »
Being a landlord isn’t easy. Many are surprised about how many responsibilities come with this work, and the potential pitfalls that can arise when things are not done correctly. Here, I’ll discuss three landlord mistakes to avoid. Not Having a more »
The process of getting a tenant out of a rental unit must always be done through a formal court process, known as eviction (referred to as “summary process” in court). Any attempt to get rid of a tenant without court more »
It’s a common misconception that every lawsuit ends up before a judge and jury (as we commonly see on TV and in the movies). Instead, most legal cases are settled out-of-court, through an agreement among the parties. In my nine more »
