Published by Kelly Sells Boston · About Kelly Cui
Key points
- Start with specifics: the date, the time, how long it lasted, what happened, and who else saw or heard it.
- If a building defect is behind the complaint, fix the defect; a dispute between residents never pauses habitability repairs.
- Write to each side neutrally, keep a dated log, and never use lockouts, utility shutoffs or withheld repairs as pressure.
- Assistance animal requests are reasonable accommodation requests reviewed case by case, not pet questions; mediation is available but does not pause deadlines or replace legal advice.
Get the facts before acting
A complaint about noise, smells, shared space or a pet arrives as one person's account. Before contacting anyone else, ask the person reporting it for the date, the time, how long it lasted and what exactly happened. "They are always loud" is hard to act on; "music through the ceiling from 11:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday" is something you can work with.
Then gather what you can lawfully and reasonably obtain: whether anyone else observed it, whether police or other public safety staff responded and the incident number, written messages the parties send you, and a technician's notes if a building issue may be involved. Keep the record to what relates to the complaint. Checking a complaint does not entitle a manager to go through someone's phone, private messages or other personal records.
Judge the complaint by conduct and the lease, not by who the people involved are. A response that turns on a resident's national origin, family status or disability, rather than on what happened, raises fair housing problems.
Building problems come first
Many neighbor disputes start with the building: a leak dripping into the unit below, a self-closing door that slams, a heating system that clanks at night. When a physical defect is behind the complaint, inspect and repair it first. That often ends the dispute faster than any letter.
The State Sanitary Code (105 CMR 410) sets minimum standards for heat, hot water, sanitation, facilities and pest control. Those duties continue while residents disagree. A manager cannot delay or skip a necessary repair because the tenant who reported it is in a dispute, or because someone has complained about that tenant.
Massachusetts law also protects tenants against reprisal for reporting a suspected code violation to the board of health or, in Boston, to the housing inspection authority, or for complaining about it in writing to the landlord. A notice of termination (other than for nonpayment of rent), a rent increase or a substantial change in the terms of tenancy within six months after such a report is presumed to be a reprisal, and the presumption can be overcome only by clear and convincing evidence (M.G.L. c.186, §18).
Neutral communication and a written log
When you contact the resident who was reported, describe what was reported without accusing anyone or taking sides, point to the relevant lease terms, and invite a written response within a reasonable time. Write to the person who complained as well, so they know what you are doing. Short, factual letters hold up better later than heated phone calls.
Pressure tactics are off the table. A landlord or manager may not change the locks, cut off utilities, interfere with a tenant's quiet enjoyment or hold back necessary repairs to force someone out. Massachusetts law makes these acts unlawful and exposes the landlord to damages. Removing a tenant requires a court process.
For each incident, keep one entry with the fields below. Write it at the time, not from memory weeks later.
- When it happened, and when it was reported
- Who reported it, their unit and relationship to the property
- What was reported, in concrete terms
- Information gathered: photos lawfully taken, work orders, incident numbers
- What the manager did: letters sent and response deadlines
- Follow-up: date checked again and what was found
Assistance animals are handled case by case
Complaints about animals need extra care when the animal is part of a disability accommodation. Under Massachusetts fair housing law (M.G.L. c.151B, §4), people with disabilities may request reasonable accommodation, and an assistance animal is handled as such a request rather than under ordinary pet rules or breed restrictions.
A manager may not demand a diagnosis or full medical records. Where the disability or the need for the animal is not obvious, reliable supporting information may be requested. A certificate bought online is not automatic approval, and it is not an automatic reason to refuse; give the person a chance to provide reliable documentation. Each request is decided on its own facts, and possible exceptions should be confirmed with an attorney.
Mediation, and when to call an attorney
When direct communication stalls, mediation offers a voluntary, structured conversation outside court. Massachusetts lists landlord-tenant mediation and legal services resources, and the Attorney General's guide to landlord and tenant rights notes that, if both agree, a landlord and tenant can use mediation to resolve a dispute that might lead to eviction.
Mediation does not pause lease deadlines, notice periods or statutory time limits, and it does not replace advice about your own situation. Talk to a Massachusetts landlord-tenant attorney before sending any notice to quit, when a resident's conduct is a serious or repeated lease violation, or when someone's safety is at risk. In an emergency, call 911 first.
This guide describes general practice and Massachusetts rules in broad terms. Notices, deadlines and accommodation decisions depend on the facts and the lease, so confirm them with a Massachusetts attorney.