Collected housing rights links

[elements.livejournal.com]

I see from the post earlier that I'm not the only one who's had to delve into landlord/tenant law recently. I figured it might be useful not just to bury these links in a comment to that post, but to start a post on resources for local (Somerville/Cambridge/Medford and MA in general) housing laws for the community. If people comment I'm happy to edit in new links, and also promise to try to organize them a bit better later on (I'm procrastinating on packing for a morning flight right now...). Here goes:


http://www.masslegalhelp.org/housing/legal-tactics1 = Very excellent comprehensive easy-to-read guide. Highly recommended.
http://www.masslegalhelp.org/housing/self-help-forms = great self-help forms for template responses to various conditions in a rental relationship

Somerville tenant handbook - from nowalmart in the recent post on leases
http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/landlord.html
http://www.masstenants.net/tenant_rights/index.htm
http://www.hud.gov/local/ma/renting/tenantrights.cfm
http://www.livejustice.org/index.htm - click for the legal library, searchable
http://www.masshousinginfo.org/
http://www.lectlaw.com/files/lat07.htm
renting section on mass.gov
HUD-approved housing counseling agencies in MA - includes several local groups
common illegal clauses in leases
Housing code violation checklist

Comments

[koloratur.livejournal.com]

Here are a few more - last time I moved, my landlord refused to pay interest on the security deposit, OR disclose the bank where it was held.

http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=cagoterminal&L=3&L0=Home&L1=Consumer+Protection&L2=Home+%26+Housing&sid=Cago&b=terminalcontent&f=consumer_guide_to_landlord_tenant_law&csid=Cago
http://www.cityofboston.gov/rentalhousing/
http://www.gis.net/~groucho/tenant.html#12

[ayelle.livejournal.com]

Thanks.