Tenants' Rights in Massachusetts: Private Housing

Booklets

Booklet 1 Representing Yourself (June 2017)

Booklet 2 Housing Code Checklist (June 2017) An easy-to-use checklist that tells you what the minimum legal requirements for rental housing are under the State Sanitary Code.

Booklet 3 The Answer (December 2020) The Answer is a court form that tenants facing evictions can file with the court to outline your legal claims and tell the court your side of the story. Also see Greater Boston Legal Services' free self-help guided interview, MADE. The interview is based on Booklet 3. It asks you questions and helps you build the Answer you need to file at court.

Booklet 4 Discovery (November 2020) A form with instructions for tenants facing eviction to use to request information from the landlord to prepare for your trial.

Booklet 4A Tenant Foreclosure Discovery (May 2019)

Booklet 5 Transfer (April 23, 2019) A form you can file to transfer your eviction case from a District Court to a Housing Court.

Booklet 6 Removing Default (June 2017)

Booklet 7 Appeals (June 2017) If you lost your eviction trial and think you have a good case, you may appeal. This document tells you which Appeal form to use.

Booklet 7A Appeals In All Housing Courts (June 2017)
This is the appeal form to use if you lost your eviction case in a Massachusetts Housing Court or Superior Court.

Booklet 7B Appeals In All District Courts (June 2017)
This is the appeal form to use if you lost your eviction case in a District Court.

Booklet 8 Stay (June 2017) A form tenants can use to ask a court for more time to move if you lost your eviction case or agreed to a court judgment to move out.

Booklet 9 Affidavit of Indigency (June 2017)

Booklet 10 Negotiating a Settlement of Your Case (March 2018) includes a worksheet and stipulation forms to use when you go to court. Read this booklet as webpages and watch the videos!

Booklet 11 Error Correction Booklet (June 2017) Correcting Errors in Your Online Court Record. Booklet includes the court form you can save to your computer, fill out, save again and print when ready.