Helpline: 857-320-6452 | vlpnet.org/landlord

Project Updates

The Landlord Advocacy Project remains virtual and continues to serve our clients remotely without interruption; however, our team has periodically appeared in person at six housing courts, availing our services for walk-in landlord clients. In-person Lawyer for the Day, 1-on-1 advice clinics, and court appearance services are currently limited and indeterminable. You can call our helpline at 857-320-6452 to check our latest offers of in-person services.

• Eastern Housing Court and Canton Housing Court on Tuesdays  
• Brockton Housing Court on Wednesdays  
• Worcester Housing Court on Thursdays  
• Springfield Housing Court, through a partnership with the Hampden County Legal Clinic (HCLC) via their Lawyer for the Day clinic 
• Northeast Housing Court, in-person appearance is possible if the client is eligible and has an event scheduled at this court 

The Landlord Advocacy Project has updated its eligibility guidelines, allowing more landlords to get free legal assistance through the Landlord Advocacy Project. Please call our helpline at 857-320-6452 and speak with our legal team to determine your case's eligibility requirements.

• Effective immediately, we may be able to provide free legal services to landlords with an annual income of up to 300% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, provided that the landlord’s income does not exceed 80% of the Area Median Income adjusted for family size. In the past, the guideline was only at 200% or below.    

• Effective immediately and with precise stipulations, we may be able to provide free legal services to landlords who no longer live in or occupy the property where their tenants also live but who want to move back into their homes. In the past, landlords were only eligible for free services if they lived in and rented their 2-3 family home. 

How to Start an Eviction  

There are several types of Eviction, and each type of Eviction has its own set of rules and requirements. As a landlord who is looking to evict your tenant, before you get started, there are a few things to consider, some of which may include whether you took a security deposit from the tenant and whether you did it correctly, whether the apartment meets all sanitary code requirements, and if there are utility issues like cross-metering and more. Read more for information on Starting the Eviction Process. here.

Landlord Staff Attorney Spotlight

Staff Attorney Alexandra Roman joined the North Worcester County Landlord Association at the American British Club on a Thursday evening in early November, sharing information about our services. Not only does Attorney Roman’s lawyering skills help win cases for our landlord clients, but her effective presentation style also leaves us confident that our work will resonate with the NCWLA’s 114 active members and beyond. She left an impression on NWCLA’s president, Brenda Coveno-Watson, “Alex did a phenomenal job! We were all very impressed and very grateful for what VLP offers.” Attorney Roman joined VLP as a law intern in 2018. In 2021, she became a VLP volunteer for the Landlord unit, and by the Spring of 2023, Attorney Roman officially joined the Landlord Advocacy Project as a part-time Staff Attorney. We are grateful for her commitment and her staunch ambassadorship of our project.

Housing Activist Joins Landlord Advocacy Network of Volunteers

Rose Webster-Smith began activism in 2011 with Springfield No One Leaves when Freddie Mac foreclosed on her home. Fired up by her own experience of eviction, Rose started training and practicing civil disobedience to keep Big Banks from actively evicting families from their homes after foreclosure. She’s sat in and peacefully blocked evictions and helped organize national mobilizations against mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing Finance Agency.* She works tirelessly to protect and advocate for the rights of homeowners and families faced with foreclosure and unlawful banking practices.

VLP Landlord Advocacy Project relies on her knowledge and experience when advising our low-income homeowners with mortgage arrears, denial of mortgage assistance, and foreclosure. She is a valuable member of our volunteer team!

*Bio by UMass Amherst. Photo courtesy of The New York Times

Landlord Advocacy Partners with City of Boston Office of Housing Stability

We are excited to announce the Landlord Advocacy Project's latest partnership with the City of Boston Office of Housing Stability (OHS). The OHS provides tenants and small landlords education, resources, and a weekly legal clinic. They will include our contact information and resources on the OHS website and materials. One of our landlord attorneys will join the OHS's Legal Clinic virtual platform monthly and be available to answer questions and assist those needing legal advice. Our partnership will strengthen our commitment to getting low-income landlords the assistance they need and deserve to ensure justice for all vulnerable parties. Click here to learn more about the Office of Housing Stability.



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