Bill > S944

This bill aims to modernize post-eviction storage procedures in Massachusetts. The key provisions are: 1. It requires the officer executing an eviction to gather the defendant's contact information (mailing address, email, phone, emergency contact) and provide it to the licensed public warehouser where the defendant's personal property will be stored. 2. It mandates that the warehouser issue a detailed warehouse receipt to the defendant, including information on storage fees, procedures for reclaiming property, and the warehouser's obligation to attempt contacting the defendant about paying fees, auctions, and auction results. 3. It establishes a 6-month waiting period before the warehouser can enforce its lien and sell the stored property, but allows the defendant to postpone the sale for 3 months by paying half the accrued fees. 4. It requires warehousers to make good-faith attempts to contact the defendant at all provided points of contact before selling the property. 5. It mandates warehousers to submit annual data on post-eviction storage to the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, which will aggregate and publish the information. The goal is to improve transparency and communication around the storage and disposition of a tenant's belongings after an eviction.

Justice

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/S944