An eviction is the process of getting a court order to remove a tenant and other occupants from a rental property. The landlord or owner can evict someone from their property after receiving a court order. The tenant and any other occupants can be evicted. In Massachusetts, it is illegal for a landlord, on their own, to remove tenants and occupants and their belongings from a rented apartment, room, or home without first getting a court order. The court case that a landlord files to get a court order is called summary process (the legal term for an eviction). The court order that allows a landlord to evict a tenant is called an execution. Even after a landlord gets an execution, only a sheriff or constable can move a tenant and their belongings out of the property.
