H. 4505 is a newly numbered draft of the HOMES Act that was reported favorably out of the Judiciary Committee on March 1, 2022 and then quickly reported favorably out of the House Committee on Steering, Policy and Scheduling.
H. 4505 would protect tenants from being unfairly marked with an eviction record by establishing a process for tenants to petition the court to seal an eviction record on a case-by-case basis. H. 4505 would:
Allow tenants facing no-fault eviction to seal their records after the conclusion of the case.
Allow tenants to seal the case within 14 days of satisfying a judgment, for example if they pay what is owed in a nonpayment case.
Allow tenants who faced a fault eviction to seal their records after 3 years without another eviction case.
Make it illegal for a tenant screening company or landlord to use or report a sealed court record.
Chelsea's La Colaborativa Youth Leaders meet about the HOMES Act with Lydia Edwards, who at the time was Boston City Councilor and has since been elected as a State Senator.