Tell Your Rep. and Senator: Don’t Band-Aid Rental Assistance and Triple Court Duration
The Fiscal Year 2024 state budget has been passed by the House and Senate in different forms. Now a conference committee will reconcile the two. Both versions contain provisions that…
New Housing Court Rules Aim to Reduce Eviction Defaults and Move Summary Process Cases Faster
By Eric Weld, MassLandlords, Inc. New operating rules recently announced by the Massachusetts Housing Court hold good news and some not so good news for landlords across the state. The…
Letter from the Executive Director for June 2023: Monthly Pricing?
In May, our paid team and volunteer Board of Directors discussed allowing members to join and pay dues on a monthly basis. We also got a new Secretary of Housing…
New Tenancies After May 12 Must Include Notice to Renters About Safe Housing Rights
By Kimberly Rau, MassLandlords, Inc. As of May 12, 2023, landlords must provide renters starting a new tenancy with the state-issued Notice of Occupants’ Legal Rights and Responsibilities. However, we…
Three Years After Covid Shutdowns, Same Problems Still Frustrate the Rental Assistance Application Process
By Eric Weld, MassLandlords, Inc. By some accounts, applying for state-funded rental assistance, like RAFT, may have improved since the early days of the pandemic. RAFT (Rental Assistance for Families…
Should You Take Last Month’s Rent at Lease Signing?
By Kimberly Rau, MassLandlords, Inc. Massachusetts law entitles landlords to collect the following fees at lease signing, and no more: a security deposit equal to one month’s rent, the first…
Eviction Sealing Hearing Held May 9 at State House
MassLandlords’ Executive Director Doug Quattrochi testified at the May 9 hearing against eviction sealing. Surprisingly, small and mid-sized landlords seemed at odds with the Greater Boston Real Estate Board, who…
Can Landlords Refuse Cash and Require Check or Electronic Rent Payments?
By Kimberly Rau, MassLandlords, Inc. In 1978, Massachusetts made it illegal for retail establishments to refuse to accept cash, stating it was discriminatory to allow only certain forms of payment.…
Massachusetts’ Open Meeting Law Does Not Apply to State Legislature
By Kimberly Rau, MassLandlords, Inc. Massachusetts gets low marks in many areas of transparency. A 2015 article by the Center for Public Integrity gave it an overall D+. But one…
Letter from the Executive Director for May 2023: Lots of Policy Work
In April, we did a great deal of policy work for owners and managers. This work covered the new state sanitary code, new court standing orders, eviction data, rent control,…