Tenant Advocacy Clinic

Last night two Heller School students, Masoud and "Slim," came into WATCH seeking advice on what to do about their missed court date. Coming from Afghanistan and Egypt a year ago, the students immediately signed a lease with Lupo, a notoriously deceitful landlord, and thus began a series of problems. The students had entered the clinic months before because Lupo had charged them an arbitrary agent's fee (without letting them know where the money was eventually deposited) and he neglected to fix major problems with the apartment. They had heard rumors that Lupo was dishonest, so they feared giving him their last months rent and never seeing their security deposit returned. Instead, they asked that the security deposit be used in lieu of their final months rent and wanted to be checked out immediately. He never responded and the students left for the summer believing they were finished with the situation. However, Lupo had secretly filed a complaint for lack of payment and apartment damages but sent the letter to their previous address. Consequently, they never received the court notice and missed their appointment. Therefore, last night, we had to refresh our knowledge of court appeal procedures in order to ensure that the students would not get charged. They left with the appeal and answer forms and a plan to submit these to the Waltham District Court this week. Their situation was frustrating and unfair but both boys held a positive attitude. Masoud said that as long as he can prevent Lupo from doing this to others, the whole process will be worth it.