Eviction Legal and Financial Resources

Legal, informational, and pet resources geared toward people facing eviction

Learn more about rental assistance programs on the state’s website. Learn more about policy and housing issues on our website.

There are some programs in place to help tenants with eviction proceedings. It is also important for tenants with pets to know their rights when facing eviction proceedings.

This page compiles information and resources to help tenants understand the eviction process, respond to eviction notices, and find additional assistance and/or legal representation, with the ultimate goal of keeping more people and pets in their homes. Please note that this list may not be exhaustive and there may be additional organizations and resources in your community that may offer services and assistance.

Legal Resources

The following organizations, agencies, and forms may be able to help you if you are facing an eviction. We strive to keep this up to date; however, please check with each agency to confirm details and services offered.

Massachusetts Housing Court Department
Information on the court process and assistance programs

Mass Legal Help

• https://www.masslegalhelp.org/housing/lt1-pullout-12-evictions
  Know the steps required of landlords to evict tenants
• https://www.masslegalhelp.org/housing/lt1-booklet-10-negotiating
  Learn how to negotiate a settlement (with video)

Massachusetts State Website

• https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-law-about-eviction
  Links to legal tactics, eviction laws
  Links to specific Massachusetts laws, regulations, and court rules
  Links to court forms

Mass. Department of Housing and Community Development

Mass Legal Services

• https://www.masslegalservices.org/findlegalaid
  The resource finder allows you to search your specific conditions to find helpful resources
  Go to the housing section and enter your information
  It will give specific service centers and law offices with the ability to help, varying on the situation and center

Boston’s Office of Housing Stability
https://www.boston.gov/departments/neighborhood-development/office-housing-stability

Metrowest Legal Services

• https://mwlegal.org/work/housing
  Clinics for tenants facing eviction MONDAYS ONLY 9:30am – 12:30pm
  Eviction process and timeline outlines
  Provides all court forms and assistance to fill them out

Massachusetts Defense for Eviction (MADE)

• https://www.gbls.org/MADE
  Free legal interview
  Ensure proper eviction response
  Need the summons and complaint, notice to quit or notice to terminate tenancy, and access to a printer

Greater Boston Legal Services

• https://www.gbls.org/get-legal-help
  Civil legal issues
  Represent clients in court, offer advice, and help with paperwork
  Work individually and with community organizations
  Special focus on impact litigation (cases intended to affect societal change)

De Novo Center for Justice and Healing

• www.denovo.org
  De Novo provides free civil legal assistance and affordable psychological counseling to low-income people. Cambridge, Boston, and interior suburbs.

City Life/Vida Urbana

• http://www.clvu.org
  Metro Boston area
  Housing hotline: 617-934-5006 (English); 617-397-3773 (Spanish)

Northeast Legal Aid

• https://www.northeastlegalaid.org
  NLA offers free civil legal services to low income and elderly individuals and families in northeast Massachusetts.
  NLA has full-service offices in Lynn, Lowell and Lawrence, Massachusetts.
  NLA has an outreach office in Haverhill, Massachusetts with limited hours.

Community Legal Aid

• https://communitylegal.org/
  Provides free civil legal services to low-income and elderly residents of Central and Western Massachusetts.

South Coastal Counties Legal Services, Inc.

• www.sccls.org
  A nonprofit corporation that provides free civil legal services to low-income families, elders, victims of crime, and people with disabilities in our communities (Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes, Nantucket, and Plymouth Counties and the Towns of Avon and Stoughton in Norfolk County).

Tenancy Preservation Program (TPP)

• https://www.mass.gov/info-details/tenancy-preservation-program
  Works with eviction due to behaviors from a disability
  Works as a third-party consultant to discuss accommodation with landlord and tenants
  Specifically for people with disabilities

American Bar Association Find Legal Help/Find a Lawyer Lawyers.com

• FindLegalhelp.org

Boston Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project

• https://vlpnet.org/
• Dedicated to serving families and individuals in the Greater Boston Area from lower income households.
• Represents US citizens, green card holders, and certain legal immigrants

Massachusetts Bar Association’s Monthly Dial-A-Lawyer Program

• This program encourages members of the public to call with their legal problems and questions.
• This program was created in order to assist the people of Massachusetts who have fallen through the cracks of the legal and criminal justice system.
• To use Dial-A-Lawyer, call (617) 338-0610 or (877) 686-0711 on the first Wednesday of the month between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m.

Financial Resources Related to Housing and Eviction

Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT)

• https://www.mass.gov/service-details/learn-about-residential-assistance-for-families-in-transition-raft
• Short-term financial assistance for families who are homeless or who are at risk
• You can only be approved in the region where you plan to use your RAFT assistance. To find a regional agency, call 1-800-224-5124 or visit the site above.

Lawrence Rental Assistance

• https://www.wearelawrence.org/coronavirus-financialassistance
• ACT Lawrence: 978-685-6274
• Lawrence CommunityWorks: 978-685-3115

Just Shelter

• www.justshelter.org/community-resources
• Go to Massachusetts on the drop-down menu to find organizations working on affordable housing, to prevent eviction and reduce family homelessness.

About the Eviction Process

In Massachusetts, a landlord may only force tenants to move, or evict them, if the landlord has first obtained permission from a court to do so. A landlord must follow the proper legal process in order to evict tenants — in other words, landlords cannot just change the locks, remove a tenant’s belongings, or resort to harassment or intimidation.

The landlord must provide the tenant with a “Notice to Quit,” which tells you to leave in a certain number of days. As a tenant, it is important to understand that you do not have to leave by the date on the Notice to Quit, but you do need to respond to the eviction proceedings.

A summary of the eviction process in Massachusetts can be found in the state’s website here. This website (Mass Legal Help) provides helpful information and links to resources for those facing eviction. For a full explanation of the eviction process, this chapter from the Eighth Edition of Legal Tactics: Tenants’ Rights in Massachusetts (May 2017) covers it well.

This state resource provides an explanation of what to expect when you go to court. Eviction self-help forms and sample letters are available at Mass Legal Help here.

You can use this search tool on Mass Legal Services to find legal assistance.

The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, Landlord and Tenant Law created a website containing basic information concerning lease terms, state sanitary requirements and other rules regarding housing discrimination and eviction proceedings.