Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Massachusetts

Re: civil rights

First, the sale of the residence will have no impact on your current lease. The new owner would take the property subject to your lease. The only way the current owner (or new owner) could be able to evict you is if you are not complying with the terms of the lease. For example, if you were not paying rent on time. Certainly, the current owner has the right to sell the house, however, the buyer could not seek to evict you from the apartment until the end of the lease if you are in compliance with the terms of the lease. Secondly, you should call the Worcester Board of Health and/or Fire Department to request an inspection of the premises to ensure the apartment complies with the state sanitary and fire code. The inspector should document all issues and require the landlord to repair. In the case of the fire escape, this should be repaired immediately. If the landlord fails to fix promptly, you may have a claim against the landlord for violating the sanitary code. The inspectors report would be evidence that the landlord knew of the conditions and failed to fix.