Resources Index
All resources here are of interest state-wide. For regional or city-level resources, click here.
Click here for the Landlord Cheat Sheet
Advice
- MassLandlords Helpline Launched
- News: List of Landlord Ratings Sites: The Landlord Review Site Exposed
- Top 5 Things You Need to Know as a Landlord in Massachusetts
- Best Free Stuff at MassLandlords.net
- Join Your Local Board of Advisors or Directors for a New Dropped Ceiling
- Advice and News from the Chief Justice of the Housing Court
- Advice from a Housing Court Judge
- What One Tenant Attorney Sees Landlords Doing Wrong: How to Succeed in Housing Court
Appliances
- DIY Appliance Repairs - A place where we can collect suggestions for cheap and easy repairs
Asset Protection
Background Checks
- Check for Sex Offenders at Family Watchdog
- Maintaining a Written Information Security Program
- Which Tenant Screening Service is Best?
- State CORI search (external site, click "iCORI Service")
- How to Check a MA Criminal Record
- Quick Tips for Checking CORI
- Using Credit Reports for Tenant Screening
- An In-Depth DIY Guide to Third Party Massachusetts Background Checks
- HUD Bans Convictions (not just Arrests) as Automatic Disqualifier on Rental Applications (June 2016)
Buildings
Business
Cambridge
- See regional page.
Certified Massachusetts Landlord™
Climate change and MA real estate
- In-Depth: Climate Change and Massachusetts Real Estate
- In-Depth: New England Drought Signals Need for Pricing Reform (November 2016)
- Should Natural Gas be Banned in New Construction? (Article - October 2019)
College and student rentals
Communication, Conflict Avoidance, and Negotiation
Constables and Sheriffs
- Video: Worcester County Sheriff's Department Speaking on Serving Notices, David Tuttle, Chief Deputy Sheriff; Lynn Trudel, Assistant Chief Deputy, Tiphanie Gelinas, Assistant Chief Deputy, Steve Trottier, Deputy. The same process is used around Massachusetts.
- Contact information:
COVID-19
Deleading
- New Lead Regulations Effective December 1, 2017
- Lead Regulations Expected to Change December 1st 2017
- State-Wide Get the Lead Out Grants
- Municipal Lead Enforcement Legislation
- Lead Paint and Politics: How MassLandlords Hopes to Make a Difference by Not Being Radical but Centrist
- Proposed Lead Paint Regulations are Flaky
- John Oliver Tackles Deleading Funding in Last Week Tonight
- Legislation Proposes Splintering Lead Paint Enforcement Into Municipalities
- Lead Safe Database Hotline
Discrimination
- Discrimination Do’s and Don’ts
- How to Avoid Being Sued for Transgender Discrimination in Massachusetts: A Landlord’s Guide
- Discrimination Warning: Cannot Share Racial Demographics with Prospective Purchasers or Renters
- How to Avoid Discrimination by the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (Video)
- Landlords Needed to Support Jamie Williamson as Discrimination Chair
Energy Efficiency
- Heat Pumps Now Cheaper Per BTU Than Natural Gas (April 13, 2018)
- Heat Pump Installation and Monetization (Article March 2019)
- Video tour of a passive house in MA
Estate Planning
Events
Evictions
- Rental Real Estate Due Diligence and Property Eviction Records
- Search Eviction Records by Address
- List of state-approved eviction movers
- Eviction records for Housing Courts at MassCourts.org
- Important: Check housing court and district courts for the regions in which your prospective tenant has lived. Summary process cases may be filed in either.
- Housing Court Expansion Just Signed into Law; How Could This Affect You? (July 2017)
- Eviction Data and Housing Court Statistics
- Eviction Study for Massachusetts (P1)
- Evicted: Poverty Tenants & Well-off Landlords
- Just Cause Eviction
- Past Cambridge Assessor: Rent Control’s Deleterious Effect
- The Fight to Stop the Free Rent Trick in Massachusetts
- From Just Cause Eviction to Rent Control
- Boston: It's Rent Control
- First Batch of Eviction Data Released
- Case-case Rent Escrow decisions (article)
- e-Book: Tenants' Rights in Massachusetts: Private Housing by the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, previously known as "Legal Tactics" (March 2018).
Community Mediation
Massachusetts now requires court mediation as a step in the court’s two-tier eviction process. The Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration (MOPC) uses state funding to train and supervise volunteer mediators in a different, out-of-court mediation process. Out-of-court mediation is free and may produce better results.
In FY2023, the Mass. Housing Mediation Program, part of the MOPC, oversaw 428 mediation cases:
- 77% of mediated cases reached an agreement;
- 88% of participants surveyed were satisfied with the outcome; and
- 98% of participants surveyed felt the mediation process was fair to them.
There are no income eligibility requirements. LLCs, Incs, and other entities do not have to hire an attorney.
Extermination
See pests.
Financing
- Free Mortgage Calculator
- The Mortgage Professor, Wharton Professor of Finance Emeritus Jack Guttentag has a wealth of information, articles, calculators, specific advice, Q&A, and even policy statements. He also pilots an "up front mortgage lender" program, designed to increase transparency about mortgage fees.
- A video presentation from a Commerce Bank affiliate on landlord mortgages.
- It’s a Great Time to Refinance, Especially Cash Out (November 2018)
Find a Good Landlord
Fire Safety
- Help, My House Burned Down! What to do After a Fire
- 40 Million Fire Extinguishers Recalled (Dec. 2017)
- Engineered Lumber Suspected in Waltham, Dorchester Conflagrations
- Worcester Permits for Pellet Stoves and Fireplaces
- Download: Fire and Safety Codes Presentation(presented at the Worcester Landlord Summit 2016)
- What Kind of Smoke Detectors and Carbon Monoxide Detectors do Landlords need to Provide?
- Do Landlords Need to Upgrade their Smoke Detectors after the December 1 Change in Code? (2017)
- Automatic Fire Suppression Sprinkler Systems & Renovations: Proceed With Caution
- Fires Up 75% & Deaths Down 37%
- New Fire Code in Effect (02/2015)
- Must a Landlord put Smoke/CO Alarms in Their Apartments?
- Why Smoke Detectors are More Critical Than Ever
- Summer Fire Safety for Multifamilies (June 2018)
- Smoke Detector Inspection Form
- Talk To Your Tenants About Spiders
Firearms
- Gun-free Leases in Massachusetts: Property Rights v. Self-Defense Rights (Article February 2019)
Flooring
- Waterproof Laminate Flooring put to the Test: Claims vs Data (Article June 2019)
Fraud
Government
Gas
Heat
- What are the Massachusetts Heat Laws? (January 10, 2018)
Hiring
- How to Hire a Contractor
- The Massachusetts Minimum Wage is now $11/hr, and Remember Sick Time
- The Dangers of Not Vetting Your Vendors
Homelessness
- An Overview of Homelessness
- An Open Letter to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts: Boston’s Insurance Against Homelessness
- MassLandlords Applies for $50,000 Grant to End Homelessness
- Insurance Against Homelessness presentation (June 2016)
- MassLandlords United Way Insurance Against Homelessness PowerPoint
- Insurance Against Homelessness Compromise Feedback (Nov. 2015)
- Insurance Against Homelessness Early Survey Results (Oct. 2015)
- Comparison of Programs like Insurance Against Homelessness (July 2015)
Humor, Holiday and April Fools'
- Boston Landlord Declares Candidacy for Mayor, Sends Walsh into Panic (April Fools 2017)
- Cunning Plan Backfires, Clock In Wall Goes Off 12 Years and Counting
- Announcing the MassLandlords Plunger™ (April Fools 2018)
- Portlandia Episodes:
- Season 5, Episode 8: Landlord breaches covenant of quiet enjoyment after getting kicked out of girlfriend's apartment, moves back in with his renters
- Season 6, Episode 7: Landlord breaches warranty of habitability by removing toilet for an indefinite period of time, shares local bathroom codes with renters
- The Legend of Security Deposit Hollow (Halloween 2021)
- MassLandlords Files Legislation for Right to Secrets (April Fools 2019)
- MassLandlords to Sell “Local Option Wand™” (April Fools 2021)
- Retrospective: How $1 Trillion Renovation Created Gentle Density Utopia in Bay State (April Fools 2022)
- New! MassLandlords Announces the Rent Remote Control™ for Renters
Inspections
- HUD Inspection Form PDF
- The State Sanitary Code
- Occupancy Requirements
- Smoke Detector Inspection Form
- Department of Inspectional Services Presentation
- Gary Kelleher on Lead Inspections & Fines
- Springfield, MA Debates on Mandatory Rental Inspections (May 2016)
- Record Repair Demands After Heavy Snow Inspections (May 2015)
- Fitchburg Mayoral Candidates Want Landlord Registry for Inspections (Nov. 2015)
- Springfield Landlords Ward Off Inspections? (July 2014)
Insurance
- 4 Things Your Insurance Might Not Cover
- Average Insurance Premium Up 9% (article August 2015)
- Four Things Your Insurance Might Not Cover (article)
- Smoke Detector Inspection Form, useful to prove that you had operating smoke detectors prior to claiming a loss.
- For info on our current efforts to end homelessness through “Insurance Against Homelessness" see the Homelessness section above
Interviews
- Jane Gasek, former chemist and teacher, on how she became a landlord, how she screens tenants, and some of what makes landlording hilarious and sad (20 min video and transcript).
- Peter Haroutian, former psychologist and HUD manager, on market run-ups, landlord tenant philosophy, and divorce with assets. We also get some insight into how a judge’s personality may be an important factor in court, and compare Massachusetts to other states in terms of landlord tenant laws.
- Sandra Katz, former child welfare social worker and salesperson in New York, became a Massachusetts real estate agent, landlord and past president of the Worcester Property Owners Association. Her business, QPM Services, managed hundreds of residential rental units in and around Worcester, MA as of July 21, 2016, when the interview was recorded. She has been in rental real estate for 20 years.
- Russ Haims, has been managing properties for the past 31 years. He's our local expert on real estate investment and management. In this interview, Russ offered advanced insights on maximizing rental profits while simultaneously streamlining your rental business.Click here to watch Russ' interview at the WPOA meeting (May 2016)
- Skip Schloming and Lenore Monello-Schloming, have been managing properties and landlording since the early years of their marriage. The couple sits on the board of the Small Property Owners Association, also known as SPOA, and recently resigned as President and Executive Director. They began helping Lenore's father manage properties in the mid-sixties when rent control emerged and have pretty much been in the business ever since. In this interview, they elaborate on the horrors of rent control and why it was ultimately stopped with a major effort on the part of SPOA.
- Member Spotlight: An Interview with Rich Trifone, Landlord and Realtor
- Judge William Abrashkin Shares Perspective on Public Service (March 2018)
- Charlie Knight, current presiding officer of the Armoury-Quadrangle Civic Association. (July 2018)
- Patrick Sullivan, has been an avid landlord since 2007 primarily focusing on multi families in the greater Worcester area. Having worked in high level IT his whole life he looks at things from a different perspective which he applies to real estate. He became a Real Estate agent in 2015 and now primarily focuses on Sober living facilities for people recently out of drug and alcohol treatment centers.
- Russell Sabadosa, founded Premier Choice Realty in 1993, which has grown from a property management company to a full-service real estate brokerage. Russell is president and oversees all aspects of the rental and sales on a daily basis. Russell is the owner of over 100 rental units across multiple LLCs with property sizes of 2 units to 28 units. Russell has brokered over 50 million in multi-family units across several multi-million-dollar and or multi-property transactions. Other positions held adding to Sabadosa's management and leadership skills were project engineer 1989-1995 for large corporate Raytheon aerospace, IT director for small private company Commonwealth Packaging 1995-2002, and public sector for the state of Connecticut Manchester Community College as full tenured professor 2002-2015. Since 2015 Sabadosa has been focusing solely on Premier Choice Realty growth and community service.
Investments
- The Mortgage Professor Calls Lease-to-Own a Possible Win-Win
- How to Find Good Rental Properties for Investment
- Real Estate Investing through Crowdfunding
- Rent vs Buy Calculator, a worksheet to help you evaluate whether a given property is a good landlording property, especially if you live in it
- Investments (Buy and Sell)
Landscaping, Gardening
- Lists of native species suitable for purposeful planting and available for purchase
- Identification guide for invasive species to remove and control.
Lawyer
Legal Matters
Light Pollution
Marijuana
- Marijuana is now legal. What should landlords tell tenants?
- Landlords and Recreational Marijuana
- Legislature may Rework the Marijuana Law, to Landlords’ Benefit?
- Talk with your Tenants about Weed
- Members’ Commentary: Accommodating Tenants That Use Marijuana
- Can a Tenant Smoke or Vape Marijuana in Their Apartment?
- Starting a Conversation with Tenants Who have Medicinal Marijuana Cards
- Brief Marijuana Run-down (04/2016)
- Marijuana Ballot Question Includes Landlord Rights (10/2016)
Markets
Marketing and Advertising
- Free professional real estate marketing photos
- Social Media as a Business Tool for Landlords and Property Managers: Part 1
- Social Media as a Business Tool for Landlords and Property Managers: Part 2
Massachusetts
- Massachusetts vs the World: Philippines Edition (November 2016)
- Massachusetts Landlords: Avoid Lawsuits With Customer Care (October 2016)
- Update on the Fight to Stop the Free Rent Trick in Massachusetts (June 2016)
- Massachusetts Housing Court Expansion Questioned by Study (May 2016)
- Massachusetts Housing Court Expansion (April 2016)
- Are Massachusetts Liability Waivers Enforceable for Landlords? (April 2016)
- Massachusetts vs The World (April 2016)
- Massachusetts is a “Right to Shelter” State (August 2015)
- Expanding Analysis of Massachusetts Landlord Tenant Laws (July 2015)
- How to Create Affordable Housing in Massachusetts (June 2015)
- Massachusetts Senate Special Commission on Housing (April 2015)
- Recap of Massachusetts State Sanitary Code Index (February 2015)
- Getting the Best Rate as a Massachusetts Landlord (September 2014)
Miscellaneous
- 2017 Annual Elections Results
- The Free Rent Trick Hall of Fame: 24 Years and Counting
- Recap of Attorney Richard Vetstein’s Presentation in Waltham (2017)
- MassLandlords Position on Airbnb Regulation
- 2017 Hurricanes Impact Rentals in Surprising Ways
- Recent News Stories Pile onto Landlords
- Better than LED’s? Boston Startup, MIT Promise LED Efficiency with Incandescent Color (Science!)
- Indoor Air Quality
Mold
Past Newsletters
- Click here for past MassLandlords newsletter issues.
Pets
Pests
- Talk to your Tenants About Spiders (December 2018)
- How to Get a Bat out of an Apartment
- PestHelpers: Volunteer list of exterminator numbers and websites
- Attorney General Pursues Local Exterminator, Bayer for Deceptive Marketing, Environmental Impact of Pesticides
- Ford’s Pest of the Month: House Mice
- Ford’s Pest of the Month: Mosquitos
- Ford’s Pest of the Month: Carpenter Ants
- Ford’s Pest of the Month: Skunks – Eaters of Grubs
- Ford’s Pest of the Month: Bed Bugs
- Ford’s Pest of the Month: Spiders
- Ford’s Pest of the Month: Grey Tree Squirrel
- Ford’s Pest of the Month: Crabgrass
- Ford’s Pest of the Month: Japanese Beetle Grub
- Ford’s Pest of the Month: Deer Tick
- Ford’s Pest of the Month: Eastern Subterranean Termites
- Ford’s Pest of the Month Is Cockroaches
- Ford’s Pest of the Month: The Cat Flea
- Ford’s Pest of the Month: Skunks
- Ford’s Pest of the Month: Eastern Subterranean Termites
- Ford’s Pest of the Month: Deer Tick
- Ford’s Pest of the Month: Mosquitoes
- Ford’s Pest of the Month: Carpenter Ants
- Ford’s Pest of the Month: Crabgrass
- Ford’s Pest of the Month: Cat Flea
- Ford’s Pest of the Month: Yellow Jackets
- Ford’s Pest of the Month: House Mice
- Bed Bug Warning Sheet (Free Downloads)
Police and Vice
- Save a Life: Talk to your Tenants About Naloxone (Narcan)
- HUD Bans Convictions (not just Arrests) as Automatic Disqualifier on Rental Applications
- Worcester: High Tech Crime Fighting (Article - November, 2015)
- Salem Landlord Facing Jail for Tenant Misbehavior? (June 2016)
- Affordable Legal Support
Policy
- Second Semiannual Policy Forum Planned for April 14
- Boston Passes Just Cause Eviction Rent Control in Diminished Form
- Rent Escrow Compromise H.980 Heard at State House
- First Semiannual Policy Forum Mobilizes Landlords for Rent Escrow
- MassLandlords Files Testimony for Proposed Sanitary Code Rewrite
Questions & Answers
- Questions and Answers for August 2017
- Questions and Answers for July 2017
- Questions and Answers for May 2017
- Questions and Answers for April 2017: Air Conditioners and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
- Questions and Answers for February 2017: Snow Removal and Clogged Toilets
- Questions and Answers for January 2017: Add-on People and Unauthorized Vehicles
- Questions & Answers for December 2016: Electronic Signatures and Dripping Faucets
- Questions and Answers for November 2016: Cloud Security and Last Month’s Rent
- Questions and Answers (Nov 2016): SOURCE: www.malawforum.com
- Questions and Answers for October 2016: Mice
- Questions and Answers for September 2016
- Questions and Answers for August 2016
- Questions and Answers for May 2016
- Questions and Answers for July 2016
- Questions and Answers for June 2016
- Questions and Answers for April 2016
- Questions and Answers for March 2016
- Questions and Answers for February 2016
- Questions and Answers for January 2016
- Questions and Answers for December 2015
- Questions and Answers for November 2015
- Questions and Answers for October 2015
- Questions and Answers for September 2015
- Questions and Answers for July 2015
- Questions and Answers for June 2015
- Questions and Answers: Vaping and Roommates
Rent Collection
This section is biased towards RentHelper because it was spun out of MassLandlords. We have an agreement with RentHelper where MassLandlords members get a free trial for their first tenant, and we get a limited marketing commission for tenants beyond that.
- Rent Collection Pilot Opened to All Members (January 9, 2018)
- How to Collect Rent Online for Yourself
- Rental Payment Late Fee by State
- Dealing with Late Rent: What to do with a Tenant Late on Rent
- The Rent Roll and Renter Account History: How to Create and Update Records of Rent Payments
- Should You Use PayPal or Venmo to Collect Rent?
Rental Agreements
Most of the nitty gritty on rental agreements can be found above on the "Forms" page. The links here are for broader discussion and insight.
- The Massachusetts Rental Agreement
- Expanding Analysis of Massachusetts Landlord Tenant Laws
- How to Handle Last Month’s Rent
- Average Boston Rents Drop Quarterly for First Time in Six Years
- Reasonable Accommodations, Federal and State Requirements, by Alford & Bertrand, LLC.
- How to Raise the Rent in Massachusetts: How a Landlord Should Decide Whether and How Much (Article - September, 2019)
Repairs and Renovations
We urge landlords and property managers to follow safety protocol and/or call a professional for any repair that might be hazardous. Unfortunately, a great Revere landlord, who was only trying to help his tenants and family, was recently killed while trying to investigate a problem with a malfunctioning boiler in his owner-occupied rental property. DIY is fine when you truly know what you're doing, but it's better to be safe than sorry when dealing with dangerous repairs.
- Biggest Bangs for your Renovation Bucks
- DIY Appliance Repairs
- 8 Things Landlords Wish Their Tenants Knew
- Spring Cleaning Checklist for Landlords
- Our Service Provider Directory
- Four Ways to Impress your New Tenants
- Tips to Eliminate Moisture Problems
- Dirtiest Landlord Jobs
- Sidewalk getting replaced (Video)
- How to Hire a Contractor (Article).
- LED's vs CFL's (Excel)
- Security Camera Installation (Video - December, 2015)
- Burst Pipes: How to Avoid and How to Fix (Article - March, 2016)
- Three-Decker Structural Renovations (Article - April, 2019)
Safety
- DIY Guide to Fall Prevention: Roof Safety Tips
- Child Window Safety: Should Landlords Pay for Window Guards?
- Lock Terminology
Scams
Security Deposits
- The Ashley Story: A Real-Life Example of Security Deposits Gone Wrong (January 2018)
- See also Forms
Security Systems
Snow and Ice
- Should I Use Rock Salt or Calcium Chloride? An Overview of Ice Removal (Nov. 2016)
- Record Repair Demands After Heavy Snow & Inspections
- Ice Breaker Mats (Article - January, 2016)
- Snow Clearing Ordinances (article)
- Prevent Ice Dams by Regular Raking… or Hope for More Warm Weather (article - March 2016)
- How to Keep Your Multi-Unit Property Winter Weather Safe (November 2018)
Solar
- Can Massachusetts Landlords Charge for Solar? (Article - May 2019)
Structures
- Flat Roof Collapses in Heavy Rain (Article - July, 2018)
- Dozens of Foundations Failing in Hampden, Worcester Counties (Article - July, 2018)
Student Housing
- Il-lodge-ical: the Worcester lodging house ordinance (Article - December, 2020)
Subsidized Housing
- Free Money to Avoid Eviction: RAFT 2016 Fiscal Year-End Report
- News: Seattle “First in Time” Ordinance Eliminates Freedom to Choose; Sparks Yim v City of Seattle
- Will Ben Carson Slash Section 8? Can we Replace it with the Mincome or the EITC?
- Waltham uses Community Preservation Act Funds to Create Municipal Rental Subsidy
- HUD Sending Section 8 Into Wealthier Areas?
- SJC: OK to End Association with Project-Based Vouchers
- Private Landlords Could Easily Create Many Affordable Units
- Tell your tenants about the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (January 2016)
- Section 8, MRVP and VASH Q & A PDF
- RCAP Solutions Incompetence sends Section 8 Tenant to ER
- Who’s the Smartest Section 8 Tenant?
Taxes
- How the 1031 Exchange Can Turn Deferred Tax into a Real Estate Empire
- Are you a Real Estate Professional (for Tax Purposes)?
- Free Tax Calculator
- Three Rental Income Tax Decisions for the Do-it-Yourselfer
- Boston Landlords Startled to See 8 to 11% Tax Increases
- Depreciation Worksheet (Excel)
- How to Depreciate Rental Property (article)
- Massachusetts Tax Abatement Form (external PDF)
- Massachusetts Dual Tax Rates: A Case Study in Worcester (article)
- How to get a Real Estate Tax Abatement (with example PDF)
- Qualified Business Income (QBI) Deduction for Landlords Now in Effect (Article February 2019)
- Tax Tip: De Minimis Safe Harbor on Expensing Depreciable Improvements (Article March 2019)
Tenant Screening and Relations
- Tenant Screening versus Employee Screening (July 2018)
- GoodLandlordTalk: Make Deposits into the Relationship Bank Account (January 2018)
- GoodLandlordTalk: How to collect the rent when emotions are high! (January 2018)
- Going Above and Beyond for Tenants
- Phone Screening Prompt Sheet
- How to Check a MA Criminal Record
- Quick Tips for Checking CORI
- An In-Depth DIY Guide to Third-Party Massachusetts Background Checks
- Tenant Phone Interview Guide
- Translation Assistance Documents (downloads)
- 7 Ways You Can Collect a Rental Applicant’s Proof of Income
- Using credit reports for tenant screening
- Are Your Next Tenants Tweeting About their Bad Behavior?
- A Recommended Screening Service
- A “How To” for Better Tenant Screening
- Screening Philosophy
- 5 Steps to Find a Good Tenant
- Can you Deny a Prospective Tenant with a Criminal History or a Sex Offender?
- 5 Things You’re Doing Wrong with Tenant Screening
- Which Tenant Screening Service is Best?
- Advice from landlord Jane Gasek (video interview).
- Tenant Screening Refresher and Expert Perspectives
Vacancies
- Vacancy Checklist (Word, PDF)
- MA vacancy rates
Voting Methods
- New (Old) Voting System on Ballot in November: Ranked Choice Voting (Article March 2020)
Worcester
- See the Regional Resources page