Massachusetts Eviction Sealing just made me hit the ceiling!

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As many of you may have heard or seen in the news, a new Massachusetts law (G.L. Ch. 239, § 16) went into effect on May 5, 2025. There are two major takeaways that you need to address immediately:

1. All of your rental applications must contain the following phrase:

“An applicant for housing or credit with a sealed record on file with the court pursuant to section 16 of chapter 239 of the General Laws may answer “no record” to an inquiry relative to that sealed court record.”

Make sure to revise all your rental applications and tenant selection plans to include the above quoted language.

AND

2. In your non-pay cases, you MUST file a notice of satisfaction of the judgment (or agreement) within 14 days of a tenant being paid in full.

This means that you and/or your attorneys must meticulously track your money judgments and agreements to determine if your tenant has satisfied (paid in full). Once they do so, you must immediately contact us to file the required documentation within 14 days.

DVD has your back with robust agreement tracking systems but make sure to let us know just as soon as your tenants become paid in full!