TAP Practice Areas
Current Public Housing Tenants
Current Public Housing Tenants
Public Housing Applicants
Section 8 or MRVP Voucher Applicants
Tenants Who Need Advice on Landlord / Tenant Problems*
* For Tenants in the Greater Boston Area who are Section 8 or MRVP Voucher Holders, or Public Housing Applicants or Tenants
If You Need Legal Assistance
We are happy to discuss your situation over the telephone. Unfortunately, we cannot take walk-ins.
Note: Please call us as soon as you know you have a housing problem.
If you are not able to speak with someone when you call, please leave a message and someone will return your call as soon as possible. The telephone number is 617-495-4394.
If you prefer to email TAP, our email address is: tap@law.harvard.edu.
Learn more about the details of the TAP intake process and what to expect when you call or email TAP for legal assistance:
TAP's Service Area
TAP represents tenants whose public housing, Section 8 or MRVP is administered at the following public housing agencies:
Arlington, Belmont, Boston (BHA), Braintree, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Milton, Newton, Quincy, Revere, Somerville, Waltham, Watertown, Wellesley, Winchester, Winthrop, Woburn; and Metro Housing Boston.
Types Of Cases TAP Handles
TAP provides representation at administrative hearings at public housing authorities/agencies regarding:
- Public housing eviction
- Application denials for public housing, Section 8 and MRVP
- Reasonable accommodation requests
- Residual tenancy
- Transfer denials
- Subsidy terminations. By subsidy we mean only the subsidies (Section 8 and Mass Rental Voucher Program) that are administered by housing agencies and in which tenants have the right to a hearing at a public housing agency.
TAP also provides telephone advice on general landlord-tenant problems only for tenants who have Section 8 vouchers, MRVP assistance or who live in public housing, if the housing voucher or assistance is administered by a housing agency listed in TAP’s service area.
Cases Not Handled
- TAP does not provide any representation in court.
- TAP does not accept cases where the housing subsidy is not administered by a public housing agency (e.g. HUD-subsidized or MassHousing-subsidized housing).
- TAP does not handle Home Base cases.
- TAP does not provide landlord-tenant advice to tenants who do not have Section 8 or MRVP vouchers, or who do not live in public housing.