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 »
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 »
