Outreach efforts starting as eviction-sealing law takes effect

Berkshire residents can now seal their eviction records, if they meet the requirements of a new state law

For decades, past eviction records have kept many Berkshire residents from accessing stable housing, advocates say. Now a new state law has given them a tool to seal their records, if eligible, and eliminate one of the principal barriers to…

Since May 5, a new affordable housing law has been in force in Massachusetts that allows certain tenants to request that their eviction file be closed or sealed in court. This applies to people who faced court proceedings for failure to pay rent or even for landlord errors, even though the case has not ended in an effective eviction. Previously, having an eviction record — even if by mistake, even if the tenant earned the case or paid the rent o…

Eviction records can now be sealed in Massachusetts

RENTERS IN MASSACHUSETTS can now petition the courts to seal their eviction records online after a waiting period. The waiting period depends on the type of case and its outcome. Sealing the records means consumer reporting agencies cannot use the records in tenant background checks, allowing a fresh start. The record-sealing ability is the result of a law that was included as part of the Affordable Homes Act, signed last August by Gov. Maura He…

Want to wipe an eviction off your record? Here's what to know about the new process in Massachusetts

New rules took effect on May 5 allowing people in Massachusetts to ask a court to wipe past eviction cases off their record after a designated amount of time. State Sen. Lydia Edwards explains the reasoning behind the change and how the process works.

Outreach efforts starting as eviction-sealing law takes effect

BOSTON (SHNS) - Thousands of Massachusetts residents gained a new tool in the search for stable housing Monday, as a law took effect allowing eligible tenants to have their past eviction records sealed. Sen. Lydia Edwards, a longtime advocate for the law, said she already helped a constituent file an eviction-sealing petition Monday morning with the support of community organization City Life/Vida Urbana. Edwards said they used a website to fill…

Outreach efforts starting as eviction-sealing law takes effect in Mass.

Thousands of Massachusetts residents gained a new tool in the search for stable housing Monday, as a law took effect allowing eligible tenants to have their past eviction records sealed. State Sen. Lydia Edwards, a longtime advocate for the law, said she already helped a constituent file an eviction-sealing petition Monday morning with the support of community organization City Life/Vida Urbana. Edwards said they used a website to fill out the p…