Boston has no general relocation-assistance ordinance for displaced tenants. Limited statutory rights apply for code-condemned units (MGL Ch. 79A) and federally funded relocations (Uniform Relocation Act). The 2024 Home Rule petition seeking broader tenant protections remains pending.
Unlike California or New York, Massachusetts has no statewide rental-relocation payment requirement when landlords terminate tenancies for owner move-in, demolition, or substantial rehab. MGL Ch. 79A requires relocation payments only when a unit is condemned by ISD or another public agency. The federal Uniform Relocation Act applies when tenant displacement results from federally funded projects. Boston's 2024 Home Rule petition proposes relocation payments for no-fault evictions but is not in effect pending state legislative action. Some private development agreements with the Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) include negotiated tenant-protection plans for redevelopment of occupied buildings.
Failing to provide statutorily required Ch. 79A or URA payments after a public-action displacement is grounds for a tenant claim plus interest and attorney fees.
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 relocation assistance rules stack up against other locations.
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