Renter rights in MA
Hi everyone,
I have lived and rented in Massachusetts for almost seven years now and I have always had positive experiences. My lastest rental, that I lived in for three years, I just moved out of due to relocating for a new job. The landlord was a great guy, very friendly and we never had an issues with him.
He just informed us that he didn't keep our security deposit at all. The money is gone and spent, never made it into a secure account per MA law. He let us know we would be getting our full deposit back, but he wants to make payments to us because he can't afford to pay it all back at once.
I am extremely conflicted. From what I read, this is extremely against the law. He could potentially owe us even more money than our original security deposit. He is a very kind man, a first generation immigrant who doesn't speak a lot of English, and i know that it would hurt him financially if we tried to hold him accountable through the legal system. Has anyone else dealt with a similar situation? I am not from MA originally so I am not familiar with a lot of the tenants rights and programs available.
Thanks in advance!