Landlord and Tenant Lawyers in Worcester

Find the right Tenant attorney in Worcester, MA

Tenant Law in Massachusetts

Relations between tenants and landlords in Worcester, Massachusetts can sometimes be touchy. The fact is that it's not easy to be a landlord or a tenant, especially because landlords and tenants often don't understand the legal rights and responsibilities that apply to them.

Landlords and tenants have to navigate a web of legal rights and obligations. It's essential that the parties to a landlord/tenant relationship know what obligations they have to one another.

Landlord's Rights in Worcester, MA

First and foremost, landlords have a right to timely payment of rent from their tenants, at the agreed-upon rate. This, of course, imposes on tenants a duty to pay their rent in full, in a timely manner.

Also, landlords have a right to be compensated for damage a tenant causes to a rented unit, either intentionally or negligently. Landlords have a right to deduct repair costs from tenants' security deposits, unless the damage was caused by normal wear and tear, for which tenants are not liable.

Tenant's Rights in Worcester, MA

The most basic right of a tenant is the right to a living space that's fit for human habitation. This is, after all, what they're paying the landlord to provide. Landlords in Worcester, Massachusetts are under a legal duty to make sure that their apartments are habitable. There are several factors that are considered in determining if an unit is habitable or not, but, generally, an unit will not be deemed habitable if it lacks any of the following: running water, electricity, heat, and protection from the elements (such as proper insulation, and windows that close).

Additionally, tenants have rights to common areas that are free of physical obstructions, as well as serious health and safety hazards. Common areas are the places in apartment buildings and other residential complexes which every tenant can access, and include hallways, stairwells, and fire escapes. In Worcester, Massachusetts, these areas must be kept in a safe condition, at the landlord's expense.

Tenants also have rights, under federal and Massachusetts law, to not be victims of racial, ethnic, or gender discrimination in housing, whether they are renting or buying. Furthermore, landlords are not allowed to discriminate against tenants based on physical disabilities. They must also allow physically-disabled tenants to make reasonable modifications to the apartment to make it more accessible. However, the landlord can require tenants to remove those modifications and restore the property to its original condition once the tenant moves out.

Finally, tenants in most states have a right to be free from unfair eviction. Generally, lease agreements last for a set period of time, and both parties are bound by that contract. Landlords cannot arbitrarily evict clients while the lease is still in effect.

Can a Worcester, Massachusetts Landlord/Tenant Lawyer Help?

Tenants and landlords always want to avoid getting into any serious disputes - these disputes interfere with the tenant's living arrangement, and the landlord's business. In short, they help nobody. While a good Worcester, Massachusetts attorney can certainly help his or her client prevail in such a dispute, they may be more valuable for their ability to help prevent such disputes from escalating in the first place.

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Life in Worcester

The City of Worchester is the seat of Worchester County, Massachusetts and home to 190,000 residents. As the 2nd largest city in New England after Boston, Worchester is known as the "Heart of the Commonwealth." Consequently, the Worcester City Seal is emblazoned with a heart.

The Worchester City Seal is also appropriate because there are a wide range of health-related businesses and schools in town. UMass Memorial Health Care, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Saint Vincent Hospital, Hanover Insurance, and the Fallon Clinic round out 5 of the top 8 employers in Worchester.

Other businesses, like Polar Beverages who operates two bottling facilities in Worcester, make use of the local staff of lawyers. Worcester lawyers consult clients on a wide range of cases.

Worcester has an abundance of Victorian era mill architecture like at the Jesuit College of the Holy Cross. The college was founded in 1843 and is one of the oldest Roman Catholic colleges in the United States and the oldest in all of New England. Worcester has a number of other universities including Clark University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Becker College, Assumption College, and the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Heal Sciences that bring a lot of students and tourists to the town.

Additionally, the Worcester Art Museum has famous works by the likes of Rembrandt, Renoir, Gauguin, Kandinsky, and Jackson Pollock on display. The Higgins Armory Museum is an excellent example of Art Deco steel buildings and is the only museum in the Northern Hemisphere dedicated to arms and armor.

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