I owe rent for a month and my landord is threatening me to move my stuff out of the house

Question

(Note: I know a similar question has been asked but this is slightly different in terms of the agreement and I also have specific location information which might help come up to a better conclusion.)

This is Covid19 pandemic time and I understand that it is a tough time for everyone.

I'm living in a rented single room in a shared-house with a verbal agreement (No on-paper lease) in MA, US. As per the verbal agreement, I'm supposed to pay the rent at the start of every month. Also, there is a 1-month deposit which I had already paid. Also, I'm not sure if my landlord is renting the place legally or illegally.

Only, this month (May 2020), I requested him to pay the rent of May & June together by June 15th. Also, I haven't been staying at my house since more than 2 month. But, he threatens me to pay rent of May within a couple of days or he will ask someone to put my personal belongings from my room to somewhere outside the house in my absence and without my permission.

Q. Can he legally do that without me giving him permission and in my absence?

Any solution or recommendation? Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Even with a verbal lease, evictions must be done legally; the landlord can't evict you with out going through a legal process that takes time, and can't legally dump your possessions outside, or ask someone else to do it.

In addition, according to MassLegalHelp, there are temporary changes to evictions due to Covid-19:

• Evictions and foreclosures are on hold.

• Your landlord cannot lock you out or shut off your utilities.

Read the link Housing - MassLegalHelp for more information and help if needed.