Petition to seal an eviction
The easiest way to ask the court to seal an eviction case is to use the Eviction Sealing Guided Interview. The Guided Interview will help to complete the Petition to Seal Eviction Record form by providing answers to plain language questions. There is no charge to use the Guided Interview. The Guided Interview will not give legal advice and does not determine whether a case may be sealed.
At the end of the interview, the system will generate a completed Petition to Seal Eviction Record form. The petition to seal can be electronically filed with the court directly from the Guided Interview.
If you do not use the Guided Interview above, you may complete the Petition to Seal Eviction Record form and file a copy with the court. A separate Petition to Seal must be filed in each court where the eviction case was heard.
Nonpayment of rent eviction cases
If judgment entered for a landlord in a nonpayment of rent case, the landlord should file an Acknowledgment of Satisfaction of Judgment form with the court within 14 days of satisfaction of the judgment.
If a landlord does not file an Acknowledgement of Satisfaction of Judgment within 14 days after satisfaction of the judgment, a tenant must file a Petition for Agreement or Judgment to be Deemed Satisfied with the court before filing a Petition to Seal.
What happens after a Petition to Seal Eviction Record is Filed?
- A person who files a Petition to Seal is called a petitioner.
- If judgment was entered against a petitioner in an eviction case, the petitioner must notify the other parties on the case by sending a copy of the petition to the other parties on the case or their attorneys. If a judgment was entered in the petitioner’s favor or the case was dismissed, the petitioner is not required to notify the other parties.
- Another party in the case may object to a Petition to Seal by filing the Objection to Petition form.
- The court may schedule a hearing before ruling on a Petition to Seal. If a Petition to Seal is scheduled for a hearing, the court will send a notice with the date and time of the hearing. The court may also decide a Petition to Seal without a hearing.
- At a hearing, the court will review the Petition to Seal and any supporting documents. The court may ask the petitioner questions. The court may also ask other party(s) questions if they are present at the hearing. The court may require a petitioner to complete a Statement of Finances and Income form at a hearing.
- After the hearing, the court will decide whether to allow or deny the petition. When the court decides whether to allow or deny a petition to seal, the court will send notice of its decision to all parties to the case.
What happens after an eviction record is sealed?
If the court allows the petition to seal an eviction record, the record as to the petitioner will no longer be visible on MassCourts.org. A petitioner whose Petition to seal is allowed may answer “no record” to any questions about prior eviction actions when applying for housing or credit. If a party wants access to information in a sealed eviction case, they can file a Request for Release of Information with the court.