Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Massachusetts

tenancy

I had a small kiddie pool on my porch, and the Landlord asked me to remove it, Which was fine with me, but, does he have the right to remove it from my porch and take it away?? After I told him I would not use it again? Does he have the right to tell me what I can store on my porch, as long as it is not unsafe or rubbish??? Does he have the right to call my Daughter a guest in my apartment?? (she did move downstairs from me but could not afford it), And had to move back up with me. We have all lived here 25+ yrs and have always paid on time. Does he have the right to always yell at me and treat me like crap when he has a bad day, and tell me he is going to raise my rent again?? Apt on 1st floor is the same size as mine and new,the rent is 750, mine is 850!! Doesn;t seem fair to me , but I pay it. He just yelled at me again about the pool issue and said I'LL raise the rent again,and I was calm about everything. I'm looking to move out, but I need to save alot and being on Disability, that may take some time. Had a trampoline on the porch last year and he said nothing all year, and now he said he does not want it there because of his homeowners Ins!! He blames everything on that. He harrasses me about everything.


Asked on 6/13/08, 10:06 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

Re: tenancy

First, without seeing your lease it is impossible to tell you whether you can store a pool on your porch. However, he can not take it away. He can demand you remove it.

Second, he can't arbitrarily raise your rent. He has to give you at least 30 days notice.

If your daughter was previously an occupant in your home and has simply moved back in, it is not appropriate for him to treat her as a guest. If your lease limits the occupants I would need to see how it is written. If there is no written lease, then he can't call your daughter a guest.

Your landlord is apparently having some kind of difficulty. It could be money or medical. You might try to find out after 25 years if he has a problem in a polite way. Or tell him that after 25 years he is not acting like himself and is there a problem.

Good Luck.

Read more
Answered on 6/14/08, 7:00 pm


Related Questions & Answers

More Landlord & Tenants questions and answers in Massachusetts