The Appeals Court issued an important decision this week clarifying when “pet rent” is allowed in Massachusetts. “Pet rent”, as I refer to it, is additional rent that a landlord charges a tenant for allowing a pet in a rental more »
Evictions for lease violations occur when a landlord wishes to evict a tenant for violating the lease term, other than non-payment of rent. Such cases are similar in many ways to other eviction cases but come with several differences that more »
Landlord advice is a topic I am often asked about for those renting in Massachusetts. Here, I want to share several tips on this important topic. Use a Written Agreement for All Tenancies There are generally two options for renting more »
Ending a lease early is a matter that often arises when either the landlord and/or the tenant wishes to terminate the rental term before the designated date in the lease agreement. Several factors must be considered when such a matter more »
Non-renewal of leases is an important topic for any Massachusetts landlord who rents to a tenant with a lease agreement. This topic is especially important given the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and eviction moratorium. What’s Required for a Non-Renewal of a more »
This week, I obtained a successful judgment on behalf of several tenants against their landlord for a breach of a lease. This is an important topic for landlords and tenants that I want to discuss here. What is a Lease? more »
In this blog post, I want to discuss the top five landlord mistakes made by those renting residential property in Massachusetts. Massachusetts has numerous laws protecting tenants, and a landlord’s failure to comply with these regulations can cause major more »
In this blog post, I am going to give you the single, most important piece of advice for landlords in Massachusetts. This advice might sound obvious, but believe me when I tell you that it is often ignored. Ready for it? more »
Signing a lease is an important part of the landlord/tenant process. A leases spells out the terms of the landlord/tenant relationship, namely the amount of rent and how long the lease will last. Most landlords use a standard form lease more »
Raising rent is always a contentious issue among Massachusetts landlords and tenants. I often get asked, are raises in rent allowed? The answer depends upon the rental agreement between the parties: whether there is a lease or tenancy-at-will. A lease is more »
