Massachusetts Defense for Eviction

To prepare for eviction hearings, tenants need to complete seven key forms, navigate deadlines, and keep pace with shifting requirements. The Massachusetts Defense for Eviction (MADE) guides tenants through these challenges and more, ensuring they're prepared at every step.

What Is MADE?

MADE is a free, easy-to-use, self-guided online interview that walks tenants through the forms and requirements for upcoming eviction hearings. This 25-90-minute interview was designed based on the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute's forms, videos, and legal aid resources.

Who Can Use MADE?

MADE is designed for tenants in the Commonwealth who are currently being evicted. Tenants can access MADE on a desktop, tablet, or mobile phone, which lets those with limited income or job flexibility avoid costly trips to legal aid and instead complete the interview at home or at a social service agency.

Attorneys, advocates, and social workers can also use MADE to assist tenants through the form-filing process.

By choosing to use the MADE system, you accept our terms of use.

Review Our Terms of Use

How MADE Works

If you're preparing for court, MADE can support you with:

  • Alerts: Get text and email notifications for important deadlines.
  • Education: Access videos and resources to understand the steps of an eviction hearing.
  • Expert insights: Explore case-specific forms and information created by GBLS attorneys.
  • Accessibility: Find information in Spanish and in accessible formats for tenants with disabilities, those with varying literacy levels, or those who are unable to leave their homes.
  • Security: Rest assured knowing our bank-level security system will keep your information safe.
  • Efficiency: Save time by skipping costly trips to legal aid and access support directly from your desktop or mobile device.

Getting Started With MADE

Before you begin your MADE interview, you'll need the following:

  1. The Summons and Complaint you received from your landlord.
  2. The Notice to Quit or Notice to Terminate Tenancy, if you received one from your landlord.
  3. Access to a printer. You may be able to print the finished interview at your nearest Court Service Center.

Learn More About Navigating MADE

Start a MADE Interview

FAQs

MADE can be used by a tenant, an attorney, or an advocate or social worker who is helping a tenant. A helper can send the form to a tenant to sign remotely on their phone as part of the form-filling process.

To get started with MADE's free, open-sourced interview, gather these three things:

  1. The Summons and Complaint form you received from your landlord.
  2. The Notice to Quit or Notice to Terminate Tenancy form, if you received one from your landlord.
  3. Access to a printer. If you're unable to access a printer, you may be able to print your finished MADE interview at your nearest Court Service Center.

Filing an Answer and Discovery is optional, but filing may:

  • Give you a chance to tell your side of the story.
  • Help you understand important rights that will let you win your eviction case.
  • Give you a better chance of finding a lawyer who can help you with your case.
  • Give you an automatic, two-week continuance to get more information about the case from your landlord before you go to court for the first time.

Yes! Creating an account allows you to save your progress as you complete the interview.

MADE produces a draft document, but you can always edit it. On the final screen, find the text that says "Optional: Download a copy in Microsoft Word format to edit." You'll receive a ZIP file that includes an individual Microsoft Word Document for each form.

Use these links to access helpful resources for navigating MADE: