Boston Municipal Code ch. 10-2 § 10-2.22
Transitional Provisions
Operative Text
(A) Scope . Repeal of Chapter 1: Except as otherwise provided herein, Chapter 1 of the Ordinances of 1983, as amended, is hereby repealed as of the effective date of this Section. All matters initiated under Chapter 1 which are pending before or decided by the Board, or pending before any court, or any valid condominium or cooperative conversion eviction notice or related offer, or additional year notice ruling initiated under the provisions of Chapter 1 or any rule, regulation or order thereunder promulgated shall be governed as provided for in this Subsection. (B) Notices sent and matters pending before or decided by the Board. (1) All decisions rendered by the Board under the provisions of Chapter 1 of the Ordinances of 1983, as amended, shall remain in full force and effect under the provisions of this Section. (2) Notwithstanding any provisions of this Section to the contrary, all matters pending before the Board as of the effective date of this Section shall remain in full force and effect but shall be processed in accordance with the provisions of this Section. (3) The provisions of said Chapter 1 of the Ordinances of 1983, as amended, shall be treated as remaining in force and effect for the purpose of sustaining in court any proper suit, action or prosecution with respect to any right, liability or offense arising under such Section. (4) All valid condominium or cooperative conversion eviction notices or related offers given prior to October 3, 1984 pursuant to Chapter 1 of the Ordinances of 1983, as amended, and the applicable regulations thereunder, shall be treated as remaining in full force and effect where such notices or offers comply with the provisions of said Chapter 1 of the Ordinances of 1983, as amended. (a) Condominium or cooperative conversion eviction notices or related offers given pursuant to Chapter 1 of the Ordinances of 1983 to tenants qualifying as low income, low or moderate income elderly or low or moderate income handicapped under the provisions of this Section on the date such notice or offer was received shall be null and void and those tenants shall be entitled to the eviction ban protections of Subsection 10-2.10(F). (b) The provisions of division (B)(4)(a) above shall not apply where prior to October 3, 1984 a binding purchase and sales agreement has been executed for a specific unit and a deed has been duly recorded transferring title of such unit to an owner who certifies under oath to the Board within 45 days of the effective date of this Section that he or she intends to occupy the unit as his or her permanent residence. If any person so certifying shall fail to occupy said unit as his or her principal residence and place of domicile within 90 days of the date the unit becomes vacant, such failure shall be determined an unfair and deceptive practice and a violation of this Chapter. Whoever willfully and falsely certifies that they intend to be an owner occupant, under the provisions of this Subsection, shall be subject to a fine of $200 per day for each day the offense exists or by imprisonment for a period not to exceed one year or both.
Boston Municipal Code ch. 10-2 § 10-2.22 establishes how the city's older condominium and tenant-protection rules from Chapter 1 of the Ordinances of 1983 were wound down when the current ordinance took effect. Decisions and pending matters from the old chapter were preserved and carried forward, while the new ordinance's procedures took over their processing. Conversion eviction notices issued before October 3, 1984 may remain valid under the old rules, but notices given to tenants who qualified as low-income, elderly, or handicapped are declared void, and those tenants receive the eviction ban protections of § 10-2.10(F). A narrow exception applies where a unit was already sold and the new owner certified under oath an intent to occupy it as a permanent residence, with significant penalties—including fines and possible imprisonment—for false certification.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under Boston Municipal Code ch. 10-2 § 10-2.22, operators who issued condominium or cooperative conversion notices before October 3, 1984 should be aware that those notices are only treated as valid if they fully complied with Chapter 1 of the Ordinances of 1983. Notices directed at tenants who qualified as low-income, low-or-moderate-income elderly, or low-or-moderate-income handicapped are void by operation of this section, and those tenants retain eviction ban protections. Owners who claimed the owner-occupancy exception by certifying intent to reside in a unit are subject to daily fines and potential criminal penalties under § 10-2.22(B)(4)(b) if that certification was false or if they failed to occupy the unit as their principal residence within the required timeframe.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Boston Municipal Code ch. 10-2 § 10-2.22 preserves important protections for tenants who received condominium or cooperative conversion eviction notices before October 3, 1984. If a tenant qualified as low-income, low-or-moderate-income elderly, or low-or-moderate-income handicapped at the time such a notice was received, that notice is declared null and void under this section, and the tenant is entitled to the eviction ban protections found in § 10-2.10(F). Tenants who believe a conversion notice may have been improperly issued under these transitional rules can raise the issue as a defense in any related proceeding, file a complaint with the Boston Rent Equity Board, or reach out to a local tenant-rights organization for general information about available options.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated September 13, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References Out
No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.
References In
No inbound references recorded yet for this provision.