Massachusetts Court System, File an Eviction Case

Citation: Massachusetts Court System, File an Eviction Case
Jurisdiction: Greenfield (municipal)
Source: Official source
Original Source: https://www.mass.gov/how-to/file-an-eviction-case ↗

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Decide where you want to file your case:
Your local Housing Court. Commercial (non-residential) evictions can’t be filed in the Housing Court.; or
Boston Municipal Court (BMC) that covers the city or town where the apartment is located; or
District Court that covers the city or town where the apartment is located
Superior Court, if appropriate
Housing Court
Housing Courts hear only housing-related cases, while BMC or District Courts hear many other types of cases. Housing Courts offer Housing Specialists, employees of the court who serve as mediators for cases that are filed in the Housing Court.
BMC or District Court
BMC or District Courts don’t specialize in housing cases — they hear many other types of cases. There are no Housing Specialists available in the BMC or District Court.
The tenant may choose to transfer the case to a Housing Court if you bring the case in BMC or District Court.

Next steps

Service date

The service date is the day when you can serve the tenant with the summons and complaint. The service date can happen, at the earliest, on the day after the tenancy has been terminated.

Entry date

The entry date is the day when you will file with the court. It happens after the tenant is served with the summons and complaint.

You must file the following with the court on or before the entry date stated in the summons and complaint:

The Notice to Quit

Summons and Complaint

Return of Service

The entry date must be between 7 and 30 days after the service date. Entry dates must be on a Monday, unless Monday is a holiday, then it may be on that following Tuesday.

The answer date