COVID-LANDLORDS - Banning Visitors & The Law
COVID-LANDLORDS - Banning Visitors & The Law
Google: can landlord ban visitors? covid Massachusetts
https://www.sunjournal.com/2020/03/19/can-landlords-restrict-building-access-during-the-covid-19-crisis/
- Reference: MGL: Part I Title XVII Chapter 121B Section 32
malegislature.gov/
- Landlords can’t legally restrict tenants from having guests during COVID-19 "shelter in place" requirements.
In response to concerns from a Lewiston renter who said their building access is being limited to only tenants and caregivers, the Sun Journal spoke with legal experts and local landlords who say the issue is mostly uncharted territory.
“As a tenant, you control access to the space and you have a right to have guests,” said Frank D’Alessandro, litigation and policy director for Maine Equal Justice. “The landlord can’t just say you can’t have guests.”
There doesn’t appear to be anything in Gov. Charlie Baker’s recent orders that addresses this issue
“Parents are relying on grandparents, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles to help get through this.”
Telling tenants not to have visitors is illegal and harmful since at-risk tenants need access to friends and family.
Landlords are likely just trying to navigate the difficult times. Amy Smith, a Lewiston landlord said landlords can suggest or urge limiting outside guests, but that an outright ban would be unenforceable.
Rather than tackling the issue with strict rules, she said landlords should be circulating as much information as possible.
Some local renters may be “overreacting to responsible precautions in a burgeoning crisis.”
- You have the right to decide who you want to invite into your home, just as homeowners do. If your landlord tries to control who can visit you, this could be considered harassment.
- If your visitor has not been destructive or threatening on the property, generally it is illegal for the housing authority to try to stop that person from visiting you.
- www.masslegalhelp.org/
If your visitor has not been destructive or threatening on the property, it is illegal for the housing authority to try to stop that person from visiting you.
In Massachusetts, the law is clear that a housing authority's trespass notices are not enforceable if the person is invited onto the property by a resident.
The lease is required to provide for the "reasonable accommodation" of guests. This means that guest policies must be reasonable.
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