Massachusetts Housing Court Adopts New Permanent Rules for Remote and In-Person Hearings

Effective June 1, 2026, the Massachusetts Housing Court implements new procedures governing when court events will occur remotely, in person, or in a hybrid format. The new rule, Housing Court Standing Order 1-26: In-Person and Remote Court Hearings, replaces the temporary pandemic-era remote hearing framework and formally establishes a long-term hybrid court model for Housing Court proceedings.

A Permanent Shift Toward Hybrid Court Operations

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Massachusetts courts rapidly adopted Zoom and other videoconferencing technologies to continue court operations. Over the past several years, remote hearings became commonplace in many landlord-tenant and civil matters.

The new standing order makes clear that remote proceedings are no longer merely temporary emergency measures. Instead, the Housing Court has now adopted a permanent system in which some proceedings are presumptively remote while others are expected to occur physically in court.

Which Housing Court Proceedings Will Be In Person?

The standing order provides that several important categories of proceedings are presumptively in person including trials in all case types, mediations, first-tier and second-tier events, evidentiary hearings, proceedings requiring credibility determinations, arraignments, and contempt proceedings.

This means that most landlord-tenant trials and mediation sessions will ordinarily require physical attendance at the courthouse.

Which Proceedings Will Usually Be Remote?

The standing order also identifies several categories of matters that are presumptively remote, including: case management conferences, pretrial conferences, status conferences, non-evidentiary motions, and certain emergency motions.

For example, the order specifically references emergency motions to stop levies on 48-hour eviction notices, recognizing that urgent circumstances may make immediate remote access more practical than requiring physical attendance at the courthouse.

Hybrid Hearings Are Here to Stay

One of the more notable aspects of the new standing order is its formal recognition of hybrid hearings.

Under the order, some participants may appear remotely while others appear in person. Importantly, a party who requests remote participation cannot object simply because another participant appears physically in the courtroom.

This provision recognizes the practical realities of modern litigation, where attorneys, interpreters, housing specialists, and parties may participate from different locations depending on scheduling, health, transportation, or operational considerations.

The order also expressly authorizes judges, interpreters, housing specialists, and regional administering agency representatives to appear remotely when appropriate.

Practical Implications for Landlords, Tenants, and Attorneys

Housing Court Standing Order 1-26 formalizes what many practitioners have already experienced over the last several years: the Massachusetts Housing Court is now operating under a long-term hybrid model.

For litigants and counsel, the practical effects are likely to include: fewer in-person appearances for routine procedural matters, continued remote access for scheduling and administrative hearings, greater convenience for some participants, increased flexibility in emergency matters, and continued in-person appearances for trials and evidentiary hearings.

Attorneys and parties should carefully review hearing notices and remain alert to whether proceedings are scheduled as remote, in-person, or hybrid events, as the court retains broad authority to modify the format when circumstances warrant.