Form

Petition to Seal Eviction

This interview helps someone in Massachusetts file a Petition to Seal a prior eviction from public record.

Sealing your eviction record means that a landlord cannot see your eviction record when they do a background check, and that you can legally answer "no" when asked if you have ever been evicted.

This means that a landlord cannot use your eviction record against you when you apply for housing.

Can I use this interview?

If you are a tenant whose landlord started an eviction case, you may be able to use this petition to seal your eviction record.

To seal your eviction record, you must:

• Have a judgment in your favor or a dismissal of the case, or
• Be evicted for a no-fault reason and be past the appeal window, or
• Be evicted for nonpayment of rent and have paid all amounts due in rent, or
• Be evicted for nonpayment of rent, be unable to pay the rent due to economic hardship, and have not been evicted for nonpayment of rent in the last 4 years, or
• Be evicted for a fault reason and have not been evicted for a fault reason in the last 7 years, or
• Be evicted for a 139 § 19 reason and have not been evicted for a 139 § 19 reason in the last 7 years or convicted of a related crime in the last 7 years.

The interview will help you understand if you qualify to seal your eviction record. It may be able to help you get some information about your case from the court electronically.

Before you start

Before you get started, please gather:

1. Your former address and the name of the court your eviction action was heard in
2. The docket number (also called the "case number") of your eviction action
3. Any other documents relating to your eviction action

When you are finished, you will need to e-file the petition with the applicable court. Depending on the kind of decision you had in your case, you may also need to give a copy of the petition to your former landlord.

Start interview