Massachusetts enacted the nation's strictest pandemic eviction moratorium under Ch. 65 of the Acts of 2020, expiring October 2020. A subsequent state law preserved continuance protections through 2024. Boston tenants today rely on the standard summary process and Right to Counsel pilot.
Chapter 65 of the Acts of 2020 paused most non-emergency evictions and foreclosures across Massachusetts during the COVID-19 emergency, halting filings, courthouse processing, and physical execution of writs. After the state moratorium expired October 17, 2020, federal CDC and Centers for Disease Control orders provided partial coverage until the Supreme Court's 2021 ruling in Alabama Association of Realtors v. HHS. Chapter 257 of the Acts of 2020 continued procedural protections allowing housing court judges to grant continuances when rental assistance was pending. Boston launched a Right to Counsel pilot in 2024 to provide attorneys to low-income tenants in eviction cases.
Filing or prosecuting an eviction in violation of an applicable moratorium during its effective period exposed landlords to penalties under MA consumer-protection law (Ch. 93A).
Boston, MA
Massachusetts allows no-fault termination of tenancies-at-will with 30 days or full rental period notice under MGL Ch. 186 §12. Boston has no local just-caus...
Boston, MA
Massachusetts does not have a statewide just cause eviction law, and Boston does not have a local just cause ordinance. Landlords may decline to renew tenanc...
See how Boston's eviction moratorium history rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.