Tenant Rights Library

Plain-English guides to Massachusetts tenant law from attorney Arthur Hardy-Doubleday. Start with the guides tenants ask about most, or browse by topic below.

Start Here

How to Fight an Eviction

Your rights and defenses when a landlord tries to evict you.

Getting Your Security Deposit Back

What the law requires, and when you can recover three times the deposit.

Withholding Rent for Repairs

When and how you can lawfully withhold rent over bad conditions.

No Heat or Hot Water

Minimum heat standards and what to do when your landlord falls short.

Reasonable Accommodations

How to request changes you need because of a disability.

Lead Paint

What your landlord must tell you, and your rights if a child is exposed.

Browse by Topic

Filter

Landlord Retaliation in Massachusetts: The Six-Month Presumption and How to Use ItEvictions & Renting

Landlord Retaliation in Massachusetts: The Six-Month Presumption and How to Use It

If you reported bad conditions, complained in writing to your landlord, took the landlord to court, or joined a tenants' group, and…
October 18, 2026
Locked Out or Utilities Shut Off? What Massachusetts Tenants Can Do the Same DayEvictions & Renting

Locked Out or Utilities Shut Off? What Massachusetts Tenants Can Do the Same Day

If your landlord changed the locks, removed your door, cleared out your belongings, or shut off your heat, water, or electricity to…
October 18, 2026
How to Ask Your Landlord for a Reasonable Accommodation in MassachusettsDiscrimination & Civil Rights

How to Ask Your Landlord for a Reasonable Accommodation in Massachusetts

If you have a disability and a rule, policy, or feature of your building gets in the way of using your home,…
October 18, 2026
Denied an Apartment Because of Your Section 8 Voucher? Massachusetts Law Says That Is DiscriminationDiscrimination & Civil Rights

Denied an Apartment Because of Your Section 8 Voucher? Massachusetts Law Says That Is Discrimination

In Massachusetts, a landlord who refuses to rent to you because you have a Section 8 voucher, a MRVP voucher or any…
October 18, 2026
Massachusetts Security Deposit Law in 2026: Receipts, Interest, Deductions and Triple DamagesSecurity Deposits

Massachusetts Security Deposit Law in 2026: Receipts, Interest, Deductions and Triple Damages

Your landlord must hold your security deposit in a separate Massachusetts bank account, give you two receipts and a statement of the…
October 18, 2026
Religious Vaccine Exemptions at Work in MassachusettsDiscrimination & Civil Rights

Religious Vaccine Exemptions at Work in Massachusetts

The Appeals Court held a state agency proved undue hardship when it denied a social worker's religious exemption from the COVID-19 vaccine…
October 15, 2026
Can You Join an Eviction Case You Were Not Named In?Evictions & Renting

Can You Join an Eviction Case You Were Not Named In?

The Appeals Court upheld denial of an occupant's motion to join an eviction case against others in her apartment, because a case…
October 15, 2026
How Strict Is the 10-Day Eviction Appeal Deadline?Evictions & Renting

How Strict Is the 10-Day Eviction Appeal Deadline?

The Massachusetts Appeals Court held that a late motion for reconsideration cannot revive the 10-day deadline to appeal an eviction judgment. Here…
October 14, 2026
What Happens When a Landlord Ignores a Housing Court Case?Repairs, Heat & Lead Paint

What Happens When a Landlord Ignores a Housing Court Case?

The Appeals Court affirmed a default judgment for tenants over a gas leak and code violations, rejected the landlords' self-representation arguments, and…
October 7, 2026
Can a Loan Modification Dispute Stop a Foreclosure Eviction?Evictions & Renting

Can a Loan Modification Dispute Stop a Foreclosure Eviction?

The Appeals Court affirmed a post-foreclosure eviction because the homeowner's loan modification claims had no evidence behind them in the summary judgment…
October 7, 2026
Can Accepting Payments Create a Tenancy in Massachusetts?Evictions & Renting

Can Accepting Payments Create a Tenancy in Massachusetts?

The Appeals Court upheld a finding that an owner who accepted monthly payments without reserving its rights created a tenancy at will,…
October 7, 2026
Eviction by a Property Manager: Why the Owner MattersEvictions & Renting

Eviction by a Property Manager: Why the Owner Matters

The Appeals Court affirmed an eviction where the owner and its property manager both sued, rejecting the tenant's jurisdiction, late filing and…
October 5, 2026
Call Now Button