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 Massachusetts state eviction moratorium officially ends today, with Governor Baker declining to extend this protection for tenants. Here, I’ll discuss three things for landlords to know about the status of evictions in Massachusetts going forward. A Federal Eviction Moratorium, more »
UPDATE: The eviction and foreclosure moratorium has been extended through October 2020. As expected, Governor Baker signed into law “An Act providing for a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures during the COVID-19 Emergency.” This law puts the brakes on all more »
Massachusetts’s highest court will be issuing a decision in the coming months on an important (and unclear) matter of importance for landlord-tenant law: collecting rent during an eviction. Namely, the court will decide if, during an eviction proceeding, a court more »
Being a Massachusetts landlord isn’t easy. There are many, many cases of landlords who have run afoul of the state’s numerous laws regulating landlord conduct; most of which favor the tenant. Here are five things that every Massachusetts landlord needs more »
Getting possession of a rental unit is the primary goal of an eviction case. A successful eviction case allows a landlord to legally remove the tenant and their possessions from the rental unit. The formal court order that allows the more »
I’m pleased to announce that I, along with appellate attorney Joseph Schneiderman, won a foreclosure appeal this week in the Massachusetts Appeals Court. The case, Nationstar v. Culhane, concerns an important topic for appealing an eviction (“summary process”) case in Massachusetts: more »
After years of stalled legislation, housing court expansion has finally occurred in Massachusetts. The recently passed 2018 budget provides for statewide Housing Court, allowing all towns and cities access to a regional division of the Housing Court. Previously, a large more »
How long does an eviction take in Massachusetts? Answering that question is like a weatherman stating what the weather is going to be the next day: an expert can give a good prediction, but many unknown factors can make a more »
Homeowners who have gone through a foreclosure often ask me what happens after a foreclosure sale. More specifically, these homeowners often ask if they need to leave their home right away after a foreclosure auction sale. The answer is no. more »
