What if my landlord refuses to make repairs?

If you told your landlord about a problem (it is best to do this in writing) or the landlord has been ordered by the Board of Health to make

repairs, and the landlord refuses to make repairs, you have the right to do these things:

Withhold rent or part of it until the landlord

makes the repairs. They may try to evict you.

To protect yourself from eviction, put the

rent money you withhold in a separate bank

account so you have this money if your

landlord takes you to court. Before you are

behind in rent, write your landlord a letter,

list the repairs needed, and say you will

withhold rent until the problems are fixed.

Keep a copy of your letter. See When You

Can Withhold Rent at

www.masslegalhelp.org/LL-refuses-repairs.

Repair and deduct. Get the repairs made

and deduct (subtract) the cost from your rent.

This can be complicated, and you must

follow the law, including getting a Board of

Health report.

Join with tenants. If other tenants need

repairs, work together on solutions.

Break your lease. If your landlord refuses to

fix serious problems, you may be able to

break your lease. This means moving out

before the end date on your lease and not

paying rent after you leave. You must get a

board of health inspection report first.

Take your landlord to court. If you prove

the landlord broke the law, a judge may order

them to make repairs or pay you money for

bad conditions. Or, the judge may order a

temporary landlord c