This month we discuss two upcoming rental forms as well as our evolving certification plan. In August many of our team took some much needed rest and relaxation, but there are still achievements to report. We reviewed and redrafted our animal addendum, which was out of date and not very…

The Massachusetts real estate industry has lost a one-of-a-kind voice. Sandra Katz managed over 300 units in Worcester, provided low-barrier housing to many of the region’s needy, and was a key figure in restructuring the local Worcester Property Owners Association into what is now a state-wide MassLandlords, Inc. Sandra passed…

Here we consider five eviction myths and policy proposals centered around these misconceptions. Myth 1: There are 40,000 Massachusetts Evictions a Year, or 110 a day. Fact: There are about 3,000 evictions a year, or 8 forced removals a day. Eviction is terrible, and if we could stop evictions, we…

Last month we discussed how MassLandlords was pushing back against the Eviction Lab narrative, testified on eviction sealing, and mourned the loss of Sandra Katz. In July we participated in a national call about the housing crisis, gave a good showing at a State House hearing on right to counsel…

Judges know that technology could help make summary process (aka the eviction process) better for all concerned. Anyone who heard Housing Court Chief Justice Tim Sullivan at MassLandlords meetings in various parts of the Commonwealth over the past year or so will be aware that this is an issue close…

The Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017 (aka “Trump Taxes”) allowed states to designate up to 25% of low-income census tracks as “opportunity zones.” Investments made in these zones and held for ten years are excluded from capital gains taxes. Investments sold to invest in these zones will have…

In Housing Court, most landlords have lawyers and most tenants do not. The reason is not that landlords want to spend money on lawyers (they don’t). Rather, people who own rental property through corporations or LLCs have no choice; they have to be represented by counsel, like it or not.…

In this article we review the 191st General Court’s version of H.3924-HD.1100, “An Act Enabling Local Options for Tenant Protections” also known as the “Tenant Protection Act,” for rent control and more. This bill, submitted by Representatives Michael Connolly and Nika Elugardo, has an additional 19 cosponsors. (Full text.) The…