Framingham State Rep. Pushes For Expansion of Housing Court

FRAMINGHAM, MA - Representative Chris Walsh (D-Framingham,) delivered a letter signed by 49 state representatives urging the House Ways and Means Committee to include funding and authorization for the expansion of the Housing Court to the one-third of the residents in the Commonwealth, who currently do not have access to a Housing Court.

“The Housing Court has judges and staff with expertise in housing law and who are trained to provide tenants and landlords with a fair court process,” said Rep. Walsh. “Both landlords and tenants can access the resources that only Housing Courts have, including the Tenancy Preservation Program, Lawyer for the Day Programs and Housing Specialists.”

Housing court judges work full time to resolving housing disputes and have expertise in federal, state and local housing laws.

Cases heard in the housing courts tend to take a much shorter time to complete, said Walsh.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, in his fiscal year 2017 budget proposal, set aside $1 million to fund expansion of the housing court to the entire Commonwealth.

Currently the housing court does not have jurisdiction to hear cases from parts of Middlesex County, which includes Framingham, along with parts of Norfolk and Suffolk counties. There is no jurisdiction in Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket counties.

Housing Court expansion would afford all residents of the Commonwealth a place to bring cases involving housing issues such as a summary process complaint seeking an eviction; claims of dangerous housing conditions, such as peeling lead paint; and violations of building, housing, fire, and local health codes.

Housing courts provide an efficient forum where board of health inspectors and fire departments can promptly resolve code violations, explained the Framingham state representative.

There is solid proof that housing courts save vulnerable people from homelessness, and also save the taxpayers millions of dollars by avoiding the need for emergency shelter, said Walsh.

Landlords also have access to attorneys to assist them in understanding their rights and the process in the housing court, he added.