Landlord Committing Fraud

[Arna]

Massachusetts

Hello,

I have neighbors that are Section 8 tenants. They are all disabled and very nice people.

They made an "under the table" agreement with the landlord to pay all of the utilities, but "on paper" it shows the landlord pays for the utilities. The landlord got them to agree to this so that he would make more money. The tenants knew this and agreed to this, so that they could rent his house.

The tenants just found out that the landlord has also been getting paid a utility voucher for them to pay their utilities for an extra $300 per month, since the tenants qualify for it.

He has basically been stealing from these tenants for as long as they lived there(about 2 years).

Do these tenants have any recourse legally against this dishonest landlord?

They know they could turn him into Section 8, but they don't want to have to move, since they like the neighborhood. But if they knew they could sue him for damages, then they would probably prefer the money if it would possibly be a significant amount.

It really is a shame, since they struggle(physically and financially) so much to take care of their 3 disabled children. The landlord is really a despicable human being.

To "top it off", the landlord is a Police officer and breaks the Law on a daily basis. He thinks that since he has a badge, he can do whatever he wants.

Every tenant he has had in his house, besides these ones, have either been dealing drugs right out of the house, and at the least, using drugs, which he was fully aware of and allowed to go on as long as he got his rent money.

He really should be turned into Internal Affairs, since he is a "bad cop" and does not respect the Law at all.

Sorry about the little extra, just "venting" a bit, since this landlord has single handedly ruined our once nice neighborhood.

If there is any advice I could give these Section 8 neighbors, I would greatly appreciate anyone letting me know.

THANK YOU in advance!

[Mr. Knowitall]

They can report his actions to the DHCD.