Masschusetts - Eviction - Fixing Broken Items

[Chan K.]

Hi,

If tenant stops paying rent and landlord is going through an eviction process, does landlord required to fix broken stuff in the evicted unit while the eviction is going on?

For example, the evicted tenant called for a broken light bulb or leaky sink.

Regards,

-Chan-

[Victor N.]

@Chan K., regardless of whether or not you are evicting the tenant, once you receive a maintenance call you should try to take care of the item. That will also play in your favor if the eviction ends up in front of a judge... and keep in mind that MA is very tenant friendly. The tenant might also use that against you ie: several maintenance issues that you failed to address forced them to stop paying the rent. 

Be glad that the tenant notified you about the leak. Some may not report it out of spite since you are evicting them. Water damages can be expensive.