Is it illegal in Massachusetts for your landlord to show up at your door without giving 24 hours notice?

Massachusetts
♥Jayleigh asked:

My landlord often stops by, unannounced. I’ve been told this is against Massachusetts landlord laws, but I’ve been unable to find it anywhere online.



Comments (5)    Posted in Law & Ethics    

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5 Responses to 'Is it illegal in Massachusetts for your landlord to show up at your door without giving 24 hours notice?'

  1. Roger M - August 11th, 2009 at 3:29 pm

    NO it is not illegal for him to show up, but you do not have to let him in .

  2. Mike - August 14th, 2009 at 8:33 pm

    In general a landlord must give 24 hour notice in the State of California and I would suspect that is true in most states.

  3. Lev8mysoul - August 18th, 2009 at 7:03 am

    He can stop by, but you don’t have to let him in. The MA state law says that a landlord must give 24 hours notice before entering an apartment unless it’s an emergency (burst pipe, etc)

    As a tenant you have the right to lawful and exclusive possession of your apartment. Your landlord must give you reasonable notice before entering your apartment. Generally, this means a 24-hour notice to determine a mutually convenient time. A landlord that unreasonably enters your apartment may be guilty of criminal trespassing. By law, you are required to provide a landlord with reasonable access to your apartment for the following reasons:

    * to inspect the premises
    * to make repairs
    * to show the apartment to prospective purchasers or tenants
    * in accordance with a court order
    * if the premises appears to have been abandoned
    * to inspect the premises within the last 30 days of tenancy if you have paid a Security Deposit in order to determine the amount of damage

  4. penlighthouse - August 18th, 2009 at 12:05 pm

    I believe that it is 24 hour notice in most states unless there is an issue that would hurt the housing at that moment, i.e. fire, water issue, or other items. But you can get out of your lease if he do this but you have to do it legally. The local Housing Rights can help you with this. I would try and move. Also, they can talk to him and do legal things without a cost to you. Call them and they can tell you laws for your area and start a case against him. Also, buy a notebook and keep a record of when he shows up, what is said, and all. Sounds like you might have issue later.

  5. reenzz - August 20th, 2009 at 8:33 pm

    It is not illegal for the landlord to stop by unannounced. It is illegal for him to enter your apartment without proper notice. If you let him in…that is legal.


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