Tenant Rights and Eviction Defense

If your landlord has served you a notice to quit or a summons, or your apartment is unsafe, talk to a lawyer now. Eviction cases move fast, and the deadlines to file an answer and counterclaims are short.

Massachusetts law gives tenants real protection. A landlord cannot remove you without a court order. In court you can raise defenses and counterclaims for bad conditions, retaliation and security deposit violations under G.L. c. 239, § 8A, and those claims can reduce or wipe out what the landlord says you owe.

We handle

• Eviction defense in Housing Court and District Court
• Unsafe conditions, no heat or hot water, pests and mold
• Lead paint exposure and disclosure violations (G.L. c. 111, § 197)
• Security deposit and last month’s rent claims (G.L. c. 186, § 15B), which can carry three times the deposit plus attorney’s fees
• Illegal lockouts and utility shutoffs (G.L. c. 186, § 14)
• Retaliation for reporting conditions or organizing (G.L. c. 186, § 18)
• Rent withholding and repair-and-deduct
• Illegal fees, including application fees and improper charges for water

Many tenant claims shift attorney’s fees to the landlord when the tenant wins.

Practice Areas

• Tenant Rights and Eviction Defense
• Housing Discrimination and Civil Rights
• Employment Discrimination
• Commercial Tenant Defense
• Housing-Related Real Estate
• Consumer Protection in Housing
• Personal Injury from Unsafe Housing
• Adverse Possession and Tree Law
• Appeals

All practice areas