Zoning Appeal Bonds
Any party involved in an appeal of a Massachusetts zoning decision should know the possibility of zoning appeal bonds for cases involving a special permit, variance, or site plan decision. Appealing a Zoning Decision Zoning decisions in Massachusetts are made more »
How to Return a Security Deposit
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 »
Negotiating a Lease
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
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 »
Putting Up a Fence: Three Ways to Stay Out of Trouble
Many property owners are shocked to learn about the many legal implications that can arise from the seemingly simple act of putting up a fence around one’s yard. From my experience in handling boundary disputes among neighbors, I would estimate more »
Massachusetts Partition Process
The Supreme Judicial Court issued an informative decision last week concerning the Massachusetts partition process. The full decision, Battle v. Howard, is included below. This case provides a good overview of dividing real estate among property owners and how the more »
Boston Zoning Appeals
Like nearly every municipality in the United States, the City of Boston regulates land use through a series of rules and ordinances known as “zoning.” Zoning in Boston, and the process of appealing a decision on such a matter, is more »
Don’t Hire Me! When Not to Hire a Real Estate Lawyer
While I take a lot of pride in helping property owners, landlords, and tenants with their real estate legal problems, I take equal pride in the cases I don’t accept. In many cases, it doesn’t make sense to hire a more »
Commercial Leases 101
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 »