3 Things Massachusetts Landlords Can Do To Stay Out of Trouble
Being a Massachusetts landlord isn’t easy. Our state has extensive regulations on the landlord-tenant relationship, and many laws in favor of tenants. Here, I want to share three tips for Massachusetts landlords that can help avoid legal problems down the road.
1.Choose Good Tenants
The selection of tenants is one of, if not the most, important part of the landlord-tenant process. Good tenants pay their rent, respect rental property, and are a pleasure to deal with. Bad tenants are just the opposite.
The important reason for choosing good tenants is to avoid the eviction process, at all costs. Evictions in Massachusetts are expensive and often favor the tenant. Rarely do Massachusetts landlords ever come out completely whole at the end of the process. Picking good tenants is the best way to avoid an eviction from happening in the first place.
2.Keep Great Records
As a landlord, you are running a business. You should treat it like that by keeping extensive, detailed records on everything about your rental properties. This includes the lease and other paperwork signed at the start of the tenancy, a ledger of all rent received from your tenants, and any repairs or maintenance you perform on the property.
Massachusetts landlords who keep good records save themselves enormous time, money, and liability if a dispute ever arises with a tenant. For example, if a tenant complains that a landlord never maintained their property, detailed records on a landlord’s maintenance and repairs can quickly refute such a claim.
3.Don’t Take a Security Deposit!
As I’ve written before, Massachusetts’s security deposit law is long, detailed, and nearly impossible to fully comply with. Rarely have I seen Massachusetts landlords follow each provision of this law, and the failure to do so can result in huge penalties.
What’s the best way to avoid this? Don’t take a security deposit in the first place.
Conclusion
If you need assistance with a landlord-tenant matter, contact me for a consultation.