The expansion of the Housing Court into our part of Suffolk County for local landlords and tenants certainly is welcome news in our area. In our community, the majority of the housing stock is multi-family. Given the large investment now being made by the landlords in acquiring property, and the high rents that many tenants are paying, it only makes sense that there is a specialized court available that offers highly-qualified legal personnel focused on these unique issues to help both sides.
Judges and staff in the Housing Court are specially-trained and have tremendous expertise in housing issues. One of the major services that now will be offered to residents through housing court is access to a housing specialist to help mediate cases before they come to a judge.
All cases will now head to the conveniently-located Edward Brooke Courthouse as the access center for local residents who find the need for the services of a housing court instead of the local district court.
We commend both Speaker of the House Bob DeLeo and Governor Charlie Baker for spearheading the funding portion in the state budget for the long-overdue expansion of the Housing Court.