Do I have to pay the landlord’s costs for bringing the case?

Produced by Massachusetts Law Reform Institute with assistance from legal services offices in Massachusetts
Created May 2017

Do I have to pay the landlord’s costs for bringing the case?

If you lose your case, the judge will order you to pay:

  • $135 in Housing Court or $195 in District Court to repay the landlord the filing fee for the case and
  • $35-$65 to repay the landlord for the fee to a sheriff or constable for serving the summons.

Your landlord probably has the right to ask you to pay these costs. But if you negotiate an agreement you can ask the landlord to give up orwaive these costs.