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Overview of the Metro South Housing Court

This section describes the makeup and responsibilities of the Metro South Housing Court
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Overview

The Metro South Housing Court (MSHC) is a department of the Massachusetts Housing Court, which was established by Section 1 of Chapter 211B of the Massachusetts General Laws, and is subject to the policies and procedures of the Executive Office of the Trial Court and the Housing Court.

Section 78 of Chapter 47 of the Acts of 2017 amended Section 1 of Chapter 185C of the General Laws, creating MSHC. MSHC started serving the municipalities of Abington, Bridgewater, Brockton, East Bridgewater, West Bridgewater, and Whitman, and the municipalities in Norfolk County other than Brookline, on August 13, 2018.

According to the Housing Court Department’s website,

The Housing Court Department has jurisdiction over civil and criminal actions, including equitable relief, which involve the health, safety, or welfare of the occupants or owners of residential housing. The Court hears summary process (eviction) cases, small claims cases, and civil actions involving personal injury, property damage, breach of contract, discrimination, and other claims. The Housing Court also hears code enforcement actions and appeals of local zoning board decisions that affect residential housing. The Housing Court has 15 judges authorized to serve its 6 divisions—Central, Eastern, Northeast, Southeast, Western, and Metro South—and conducts sessions in over 20 locations every week.

MSHC holds court sessions at its main administrative office in Brockton Monday through Friday, as well as court sessions in Canton on Fridays. The MSHC Clerk-Magistrate’s Office has 13 employees.

As shown below, MSHC received $504,765 in filing fee1 revenue and processed 4,389 cases during our audit period. Of these, 3,831 were summary process cases.

Fiscal Year

Filing Fee Revenue

All Processed Cases

Summary Process Cases

2019 (August 13, 2018 through June 30, 2019)

$304,085

2,710

2,321

2020 (July 1, 2019 through December 31, 2019)

   200,680

1,679

1,510

Total

$504,765

4,389

3,831

1.     A filing fee is a fee that a person or entity must pay upon initial filing of a case.

Date published: November 23, 2020

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