Massachusetts Housing Courts

The Massachusetts Housing Court consists of 6 divisions which are: Central, Eastern, Metro South, Northeast, Southeast, and Western, that cover all fourteen counties of Massachusetts. Within the Housing Court system, there are 15 judges led by Chief Justice Timothy F. Sullivan and Deputy Court Administrator Benjamin O. Adeyinka. Housing Court is responsible for resolving issues that have to do with property and housing. Cases on eviction, small claims, personal injury, property damage, breach of contract, discrimination and tenant issues are common in Housing Court. The Massachusetts Housing Court also has jurisdiction over code enforcement and appeals to the local zoning board having to do with residential housing matters.

For 2018, the Housing Court processed 61,421 cases. Most of the cases for that year were for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) totaling 21,396. The next most common type of case resolved were civil cases with 4,226 for 2018. Only 744 of the total were for criminal cases.