Your Lease
Your lease will outline Boston Housing Authority’s (BHA) obligations as your landlord and your obligations as a tenant. It will also include your rent amount and approved household members. The lease includes rules regarding occupancy of your apartment, the conduct of your guests and how long visitors may stay with you. In addition to English, the lease is available for review in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian and Haitian.
Your manager will give you a copy of your lease. If you live in a mixed finance development, your lease may be different from the standard BHA lease and can be viewed at your development management office.
Your lease details your obligations as a tenant and BHA's obligations as a landlord. Your primary obligations as a tenant are to pay rent on time, respect the rights of your neighbors to live quietly in their apartment, only allow those approved by BHA to live in the unit, not engage in criminal activity or allow others living in or visiting the unit to do so, do not damage your apartment or the property, do not smoke in the unit or common areas, accurately report on income/family composition, and transfer if you are required to do so.
BHA must maintain the apartment up to code regulations, make repairs when requested, take action to make sure your neighbors comply with their lease obligations, adjust your rent based on any changes to your income or household composition, and process requests for reasonable accommodation, transfer and grievances.