At a time when increased home foreclosures are forcing many renters out of their homes, two HLS clinical instructors at the WilmerHale Legal Services Center have written a comprehensive guide on tenants’ rights after foreclosure. The guide, written by instructors Esme Caramello ’99 and Rafael Mares ’99, will be featured in the forthcoming edition of Legal Tactics, published by the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute.
“Thousands of people are facing eviction this year in Massachusetts as a result of the foreclosure crisis, combined with the ill-advised position of banks that properties can only be marketed when vacant,” said Mares. “The new Legal Tactics chapter provides tenants, their service providers, and lawyers with one convenient place to find out about their rights and the tools they need to save their homes and their communities.”
Caramello and Mares teach at the WilmerHale Center’s Housing Clinic, where they work with HLS students to protect the rights of low-income tenants and homeowners. Their guide, “Tenants Facing Foreclosure,” includes everything that tenants need to know about Massachusetts law related to their rights after foreclosure, including whether they have to continue to pay rent, whether they can be evicted, and why tenants shouldn’t take “cash for keys” offers from banks without knowing the law.