Benefits of a Housing Court 

In 1972, the Legislature passed a law and established a Housing Court for the City of Boston. 


Since then local constituencies have successfully advocated for the expansion of the Housing Court into five divisions.  


Housing Courts were created to provide landlords and tenants with a special legal forum with expertise in housing. They provide a forum that:

• enforces the state and local health and fire codes,
• protects people from becoming homeless, 
• brings abandoned property back into use, 
• stabilizes neighborhoods,
• addresses mortgage fraud, and
• handles numerous complex housing matters. 
  

What follows are the benefits of Housing Court from both those who use it and from those who need it.