A ProPublica investigation found that rents in buildings that use RealPage’s AIRM software (formerly YieldStar) rose dramatically in some markets across the nation. The US Justice Department and attorneys general in eight states are suing a popular AI-enabled property...
Landlord Tenant Law
9 Types of Questions Massachusetts Landlords Cannot Ask Rental Applicants
Massachusetts landlords often wonder what questions they cannot legally ask on a rental application. Selecting tenants for residential rentals can leave landlords feeling as if they are giving their fate to the luck of the draw. But, asking good questions on a rental...
Massachusetts Sues Boston Housing Authority For Subjecting Family To Unsanitary Conditions
In January 2024 the state Attorney General's office sued the Boston Housing Authority (BHA) over its treatment of a family with two girls with asthma and developmental issues, charging the authority ignored repeated complaints for three years about the unsanitary...
Massachusetts Rent Increase Laws: What Tenants Should Know
The rapid increase in rents across the United States has recently become a pressing issue. Many states are turning to rent control laws as a solution to manage these soaring costs. However, the situation in Massachusetts, particularly in its bustling metropolitan...
Is Your Massachusetts Landlord Denying Your Request to Keep an Emotional Support Animal?
Basic rights and obligations of Massachusetts Landlords and Tenants A service animal is a dog, or in rare cases a miniature horse, that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. An emotional support animal (ESA) is...
Evictions Harm the Health of Massachusetts Children
Harvard Medical School student Bruce Ramphal has published an analysis of past research on evictions and their health impact, working with collaborators from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard Law School and the Center on the Developing Child at...
How Ownership Structure Impacts Eviction Rates in Massachusetts
A new study using data from Boston analyzes how the characteristics of different landlords impact their actions when it comes to evicting tenants. The study focuses on small versus large landlords, defined as those owning 15 or more properties—a demographic that makes...
Have You Ever Wondered About the Darker Past of Your Home?
Have you ever wondered about the darker past of your home? If so, it’s probably because your realtor didn’t tell you about it. According to Massachusetts State law (G.L. chapter 93, s.114), realtors are not required to tell buyers if homes are “stigmatized” — a...
HUD Orders Dallas Housing Authority to Pay $500,000 Housing Discrimination Settlement
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced it reached an agreement with the Dallas Housing Authority (DHA) this September, requiring the DHA to pay $500,000 for an alleged housing discrimination violation from 2019. The U.S. Department of...
Department of Defense Hasn’t Tracked Lead Exposure in Military Kids
When it comes to screening and testing Massachusetts military children for lead exposure, there’s no one at the helm to make sure it’s happening, according to a new report from government auditors. And the auditors are questioning the accuracy of Department of Defense...