The MassLandlords Crash Course in Landlording

Name: The MassLandlords Crash Course in Landlording
Start: 2026-01-31T08:00:00-05:00
Location: One Broadway Cambridge, MA 02134

Schedule

Sat, 31 Jan, 2026 at 08:00 am

UTC-05:00

Location

One Broadway Cambridge, MA 02134 | Cambridge, MA

Learn everything you need to succeed as an owner or manager of residential rental property in Massachusetts.
This fast-paced course is strictly limited to 16 participants to allow for detailed discussion and Q&A. Course tuition includes:
Small group session with the Executive Director, a trained presenter and experienced landlord, and the attorney.
A comprehensive agenda, see below.
Your choice of two books:
Every Landlord's Tax Deduction Guide by NOLO,
The Good Landlord by Peter Shapiro,
Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher, and/or
The Housing Manual by H. John Fisher.
A bound summary of all material presented.
Breakfast pastries, coffee, tea.
Lunch sandwiches, sodas, chips, cookies; all dietary requirements satisfied, please notify us when you purchase a ticket.
A MassLandlords ballpoint pen.
A MassLandlords certificate of completion and permission to use "MassLandlords Crash Course graduate" on your marketing material.
You will receive a box packed with your personalized signed certificate,
your choice of two books, course notes, pen, and half a dozen other pieces of literature.
Part of this presentation will be given by Doug Quattrochi, Executive Director, MassLandlords, Inc. Doug was a founding member of MassLandlords in 2013. He became the association's first Executive Director under new bylaws in 2014. Since then, he has scaled the organization from a core of 160 members in Worcester to approximately 2,500 dues paying businesses from Pittsfield to the Cape, and from an all-volunteer team to approximately 20 full and part-time staff plus 50 volunteers. Doug has been instrumental in advancing democratic governance mechanisms, including score voting for policy priorities and a staggered and democratically elected Board of Directors. Doug also oversees the RentHelper spin-off, which is expanding access to electronic banking for those of us who are unbanked or underbanked. Prior to MassLandlords, Doug held leadership roles in various Massachusetts startups, two of which are still operating. Doug holds a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Part of this presentation will be given by attorney Adam Sherwin. Adam is an experienced real estate litigator with years of experience representing landlords, property owners, and other real estate professionals. He has extensive experience litigating real estate disputes before judges and juries and has obtained favorable decisions from the Massachusetts Appeals Court and District Court Appellate Division. He is also a long-time crash course instructor at the Cambridge headquarters and over zoom.
"No Sales Pitch" Guarantee
MassLandlords offers attendees of directly managed events a "No Sales Pitch" guarantee. If a guest speaker offers services, their presentation will not discuss pricing, promotions, or reasons why you should hire them.
We do not permit speakers to pay for or sponsor events. Guest speakers are chosen for their expertise and willingness to present helpful educational content. Your purchase of an event ticket sustains our nonprofit model.
Saturday, January 31st
Crash Course Agenda
In-Person Course Agenda
8:30 am - Introduction of MassLandlords and course participants
8:45 - Rental markets
Urban, suburban, rural.
Luxury, college, professional, working, subsidized, rooming houses.
Airbnb.
9:00 - Property selection
Lead paint.
Charging for utilities.
Climate change risk.
Heat pumps.
Vinyl plank vs. hardwood floors.
Landlord trade-offs repairs vs. cleaning.
9:40 - Marketing and advertising
Getting the right applicants.
Small business branding tips and tricks.
Where to advertise.
10:05 - Break for ten minutes
10:15 - Finish marketing and advertising
10:35 - Applications and tenant screening
Criminal, credit, and eviction background checks.
Discrimination and fair housing.
Interactive tenant screening workshop.
Section 8.
11:30 - Tenancies
Lease vs Tenancy at Will.
Move-in monies.
Security deposits.
Pet rent.
11:50 - Break and Lunch, with free form Q&A
12:20 - Warranties and covenants
Water submetering.
Sanitary code.
How to raise the rent fairly.
Support animals.
12:40 - Dispute resolution
Eviction notices to quit.
Court process.
Move-and-store
Relocation assistance.
1:40 - Break for ten minutes
2:50 - Maintenance, hiring, and operations.
Tax advantages.
Property managers.
Contractors.
Building permits.
Extermination
LLCs and trusts.
Grants and alternative funding.
3:10 - Break for five minutes
3:40 - Overview of books and resources for further education
3:45 - Review of unanswered questions
4:00 - End Course
Please note that end time may vary based on questions.
Location
Cambridge Innovation Center
14th Floor, Charles Conference Room
One Broadway
Cambridge, MA 02134
Please note: CIC has several buildings in Kendall Square, two of them being adjacent to each other. The correct location for this event is the building with light colored concrete, vertical windows and a Dunkin Donuts on the ground level. You will NOT see a CIC sign. Refer to the image below.
Food
Breakfast:
Fresh bagels, large muffins, cinnamon rolls, coffee cake slices and scones with cream cheese, butter, and jam
Fresh fruit platter
Assorted fruit juices and coffee
Lunch:
Assorted gourmet sandwiches
Garden salad
Pasta salad
Assorted pastries
Soda, juice, water
*Please email [email protected] if you have any dietary restrictions and need a special meal.
*Dietary restrictions: Purchase a ticket and set your preferences at My Account one week prior to the event or earlier. Once set, preferences remain set for future events.
Masks welcome! Eating and drinking is not required. Please note: as we are unable to monitor the buffet, we are unable to offer a reduced ticket price for attendees who will not be eating.
Pricing
Open to the public. Membership is not required!
Public: $275
Members: $250
Card payments only. Events are cashless.
This event will not be recorded.
Register at: MassLandlords.net/events