Attorneys serving the Greater Boston area
A landlord is one who owns property and lets another person occupy his property in return for payment of rent. Rental property may be land, a single residence, a duplex, a trailer, a condo or an apartment.
While both the landlord and tenant have rights, each also has obligations. The landlord is responsible for premises maintenance and in many cases, for meeting local housing codes, and the tenant must abide by the terms of the lease. When terms of a rental agreement are violated, the landlord may issue an eviction notice.
The landlord-tenant relationship is often subject to disputes. Problems can arise for a wide variety of reasons. Often tenants fail to carefully read the lease they sign. Issues about security deposits are common. Or one might lease a home, only to have the owner default on the mortgage.
Since the firm’s inception, landlord/tenant law has been an integral part of the legal services our attorneys provide. For nearly 30 years, Alford & Bertrand, LLC has provided legal services for real estate owners and managers from small landlords with two and three family homes to large corporate landlords and municipal housing authorities. Among the housing authorities Alford and Bertrand, LLC has represented are the Newton Housing Authority and Belmont Housing Authority both of whom have authorized us to use their names as references as satisfied clients.
“ Attorney Stuart Alford has represented us in multiple facets of the rental business, from initially setting up our business model to assisting us in closings on multi-family properties. We have also enlisted his services over the years in evicting, and getting financial judgments against problem tenants in a timely manner. Being a landlord in Massachusetts can be tricky, so it’s important to have an experienced attorney on your side.”
– Ted Thomas, Stoneham Realty
Some of the legal problems we help our clients resolve include:
- Lease preparation
- Evictions
- Failure to Maintain Premises Issues
- Security Deposits Disputes
- Rent Increases
- Breach of Rental Agreement
First hand experience as landlords and Managers has given our attorneys in depth knowledge and inside perspective, Attorney Harvey Alford learned the residential real estate business by purchasing apartment buildings in Brookline and Boston and personally providing all management services. Mr. Alford also gained further know-how, serving as Director of Administration for the Jewish Community Housing for the Elderly (JCHE).
Stuart Alford managed residential apartment buildings in Roslindale and Somerville for more than a decade. He handled all Summary Process and eviction matters, including expedited evictions of tenants involved in the sale of narcotics. As an attorney, Mr. Alford has utilized his personal experience as a landlord to aggressively seek the removal of tenants who were involved in illegal drug distribution and other dangerous activities. In many instances, the court ordered the tenants removed more rapidly than permitted under normal Summary Process rules.
If you have questions about landlord-tenant laws or need legal advice to protect your interests and enforce your rights as a landlord, we invite you to call our office at 888-361-1693 to learn how our attorneys’ expertise in can benefit you and your business.
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