The HOMES ACT - SD. 798 and HD. 1889As soon as an eviction is filed, a tenant has an eviction record. Regardless whether a tenant did something wrong or was actually evicted, the mere fact that they were party to an eviction is unfairly being used against tenants when they try to rent an apartment. Even winning in court hurts tenants. Unlike criminal records, there is currently no process to seal eviction records, and the records are available online.
To address this issue Senator Joe Boncore, Rep. Mike Moran, and Boston Councilor Lydia Edwards have proposed the HOMES Act – An Act Promoting Housing Opportunity and Mobility Through Eviction Sealing. SD. 798 and HD. 1889 will protect tenants from being unfairly branded with an eviction record if they don’t have a judgment against them, if they weren’t actually evicted or if they didn’t do anything wrong. The bills would:
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