reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
MA Gen L ch 184 § 18 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part II - Real and Personal Property and Domestic Relations|Title I - Title to Real Property|Chapter 184 - General Provisions Relative to Real Property|Section 18 - Entry Into Land; Legal Proceedings Required to Recover Possession of Land or Tenements; Jurisdiction

Section 18. No person shall make an entry into land or tenements except in cases where his entry is allowed by law, and in such cases he shall not enter by force, but in a peaceable manner.  No person shall attempt to recover possession of land or tenements in any manner other than through an action brought pursuant to chapter two hundred and thirty-nine or such other proceedings authorized by law. The superior and district courts shall have jurisdiction in equity to enforce the provisions of this section.
MA Gen L ch 184 § 20 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part II - Real and Personal Property and Domestic Relations|Title I - Title to Real Property|Chapter 184 - General Provisions Relative to Real Property|Section 20 - Right of Entry or Action for Recovery of Real Property; Descent or Discontinuance

Section 20. No descent or discontinuance shall take away or defeat any right of entry or of action for the recovery of real property.
MA Gen L ch 184 § 21 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part II - Real and Personal Property and Domestic Relations|Title I - Title to Real Property|Chapter 184 - General Provisions Relative to Real Property|Section 21 - Encumbrances Upon Real Property; Duty of Grantor to Inform Grantee

Section 21. If real property upon which any encumbrance exists is conveyed by deed or mortgage, the grantor, in whatever capacity he may act, shall before the consideration is paid, by exception in the deed or otherwise make known to the grantee the existence and nature of such prior encumbrance so far as he has knowledge thereof.
MA Gen L ch 184 § 22 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part II - Real and Personal Property and Domestic Relations|Title I - Title to Real Property|Chapter 184 - General Provisions Relative to Real Property|Section 22 - Encumbrance of Record; Liability for Removal

Section 22. Whoever conveys real property by a deed or mortgage which contains a covenant that it is free from all encumbrances shall, if it appears by a public record that an actual or apparent encumbrance, known or unknown to him, exists thereon, be liable in an action of contract to the grantee, his heirs, executors, administrators, successors or assigns, for all damages sustained in removing the same.
MA Gen L ch 184 § 23 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part II - Real and Personal Property and Domestic Relations|Title I - Title to Real Property|Chapter 184 - General Provisions Relative to Real Property|Section 23 - Conditions or Restrictions; Term of Years; Applicability

Section 23. Conditions or restrictions, unlimited as to time, by which the title or use of real property is affected, shall be limited to the term of thirty years after the date of the deed or other instrument or the date of the probate of the will creating them, except in cases of gifts or devises for public, charitable or religious purposes. This section shall not apply to conditions or restrictions existing on July sixteenth, eighteen hundred and eighty-seven, to those contained in a deed, grant or gift of the commonwealth, or to those having the benefit of section thirty-two.
MA Gen L ch 184 § 23a (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part II - Real and Personal Property and Domestic Relations|Title I - Title to Real Property|Chapter 184 - General Provisions Relative to Real Property|Section 23a - Proceedings Relating to Building Restrictions; Limitation of Actions

Section 23A. No action, suit, or proceeding shall be maintained either at law or in equity in any court to recover damages or to compel the removal, alteration, or relocation of any structure by reason of any violation of any private restriction or condition in the nature of a restriction by which the use of real property is affected in regard to: (a) building set-back requirements from front, side, or rear property lines, (b) the size, type, number of dwelling units, or number of stories of any structure, (c) the addition of any porch, garage, sign, bay window or similar addition, or the location or construction of any driveway, fence or wall, or (d) the materials used or the expenditures made for construction, unless such action, suit, or proceeding is commenced within six years next after the completion of such building, addition, or other construction.  For the purposes of this section, the record of assessment of any house or other structure for taxation shall be prima facie evidence of the completion of such house or structure by the first day of January of the year of assessment.  This section shall not be construed as extinguishing, limiting or abridging any defense against any such action, suit or proceeding which would otherwise be available nor as affecting sections nineteen to twenty-three, inclusive, or sections twenty-four to thirty, inclusive.
MA Gen L ch 184 § 23b (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part II - Real and Personal Property and Domestic Relations|Title I - Title to Real Property|Chapter 184 - General Provisions Relative to Real Property|Section 23b - Restrictive Covenants Based on Race, Religion, National Origin or Sex; Validity; Exception

Section 23B. A provision in an instrument relating to real property which purports to forbid or restrict the conveyance, encumbrance, occupancy, or lease thereof to individuals of a specified race, color, religion, national origin or sex shall be void. Any condition, restriction or prohibition, including a right of entry or a possibility of reverter, which directly or indirectly limits the use for occupancy of real property on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin or sex shall be void, excepting a limitation on the basis of religion on the use of real property held by a religious or denominational institution or organization or by an organization operated for charitable or educational purposes which is operated, supervised or controlled by or in connection with a religious organization.
MA Gen L ch 184 § 23c (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part II - Real and Personal Property and Domestic Relations|Title I - Title to Real Property|Chapter 184 - General Provisions Relative to Real Property|Section 23c - Solar Energy Systems; Installation or Use; Restrictive Provisions

Section 23C. Any provision in an instrument relative to the ownership or use of real property which purports to forbid or unreasonably restrict the installation or use of a solar energy system as defined in section one A of chapter forty A or the building of structures that facilitate the collection of solar energy shall be void.
MA Gen L ch 184 § 23d (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part II - Real and Personal Property and Domestic Relations|Title I - Title to Real Property|Chapter 184 - General Provisions Relative to Real Property|Section 23d - Community Residences for Disabled Persons; Restrictive Provisions

Section 23D. Any restriction, reservation, condition, exception, or covenant in any subdivision plan, deed or other instrument of or pertaining to the transfer, sale, lease or use of property which would permit residential use of property but would prohibit a community residence for disabled persons shall, to the extent of such prohibition, be void.
MA Gen L ch 184 § 24 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part II - Real and Personal Property and Domestic Relations|Title I - Title to Real Property|Chapter 184 - General Provisions Relative to Real Property|Section 24 - Defects, Irregularities or Omissions in Deeds; Curative Period

Section 24. When any owner of land the title to which is not registered, or of any interest in such land, signs an instrument in writing conveying or purporting to convey his land or interest, or in any manner affecting or purporting to affect his title thereto, and the instrument, whether or not entitled to record, is recorded, and indexed, in the registry of deeds for the district wherein such land is situated, and a period of ten years elapses after the instrument is accepted for record, and the instrument or the record thereof because of defect, irregularity or omission fails to comply in any respect with any requirement of law relating to seals, corporate or individual, to the validity of acknowledgment, to certificate of acknowledgment, witnesses, attestation, proof of execution, or time of execution, to recitals of consideration, residence, address, or date, to the authority of a person signing for a corporation who purports to be the president or treasurer or a principal officer of the corporation, such instrument and the record thereof shall notwithstanding any or all of such defects, irregularities and omissions, be effective for all purposes to the same extent as though the instrument and the record thereof had originally not been subject to the defect, irregularity or omission, unless within said period of ten years a proceeding is commenced on account of the defect, irregularity or omission, and notice thereof is duly recorded in said registry of deeds and indexed and noted on the margin thereof under the name of the signer of the instrument and, in the event of such proceeding, unless relief is thereby in due course granted.
MA Gen L ch 184 § 25 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part II - Real and Personal Property and Domestic Relations|Title I - Title to Real Property|Chapter 184 - General Provisions Relative to Real Property|Section 25 - Indefinite References; Effect; Application

Section 25. No indefinite reference in a recorded instrument shall subject any person not an immediate party thereto to any interest in real estate, legal or equitable, nor put any such person on inquiry with respect to such interest, nor be a cloud on or otherwise adversely affect the title of any such person acquiring the real estate under such recorded instrument if he is not otherwise subject to it or on notice of it. An indefinite reference means (1) a recital indicating directly or by implication that real estate may be subject to restrictions, easements, mortgages, encumbrances or other interests not created by instruments recorded in due course, (2) a recital or indication affecting a description of real estate which by excluding generally real estate previously conveyed or by being in general terms of a person's right, title or interest, or for any other reason, can be construed to refer in a manner limiting the real estate described to any interest not created by instruments recorded in due course, (3) a description of a person as trustee or an indication that a person is acting as trustee, unless the instrument containing the description or indication either sets forth the terms of the trust or specifies a recorded instrument which sets forth its terms and the place in the public records where such instrument is recorded, and (4) any other reference to any interest in real estate, unless the instrument containing the reference either creates the interest referred to or specifies a recorded instrument by which the interest is created and the place in the public records where such instrument is recorded. No instrument shall be deemed recorded in due course unless so recorded in the registry of deeds for the county or district in which the real estate affected lies as to be indexed in the grantor index under the name of the owner of record of the real estate affected at the time of the recording. This section shall not apply to a reference to an instrument in a notice or statement permitted by law to be recorded instead of such instrument, nor to a reference to the secured obligation in a mortgage or other instrument appearing of record to be given as security, nor in any proceeding for enforcement of any warranty of title.
MA Gen L ch 184 § 27 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part II - Real and Personal Property and Domestic Relations|Title I - Title to Real Property|Chapter 184 - General Provisions Relative to Real Property|Section 27 - Restrictions Imposed After December 31, 1961; Limitations on Enforceability; Extension of Period

Section 27. No restriction imposed after December thirty-first, nineteen hundred and sixty-one shall be enforceable:—  (a) unless the person seeking enforcement (1) is a party to the instrument imposing the restriction and it is stated to be for his benefit or is entitled to such benefit as a successor to such party, or (2) is an owner of an interest in benefited land which either adjoins the subject parcel at the time enforcement is sought or is described in the instrument imposing the restriction and is stated therein to be benefited, and  (b) after thirty years from the imposition of the restriction, unless (1) the restriction is imposed as part of a common scheme applicable to four or more parcels contiguous except for any intervening streets or ways, and provision is made in the instrument or instruments imposing it for extension for further periods of not more than twenty years at a time by owners of record, at the time of recording of the extension, of fifty per cent or more of the restricted area in which the subject parcel is located, and an extension in accordance with such provision is recorded before the expiration of the thirty years or earlier date of termination specified in the instrument and names or is signed by one or more of the persons appearing of record to own the subject parcel at the time of such recording, and in case of such recording, twenty years, or the specified extension term if less than twenty years, has not expired after the recording of any such extension without the recording of a further like extension; or (2) in the case of any other restriction, a notice of restriction is recorded before the expiration of the thirty years, and in case of such recording, twenty years have not expired after the recording of any notice of restriction without the recording of a further notice of restriction.  A notice of restriction under this section shall not extend the period of enforceability unless it (a) is signed by a person then entitled of record to the benefit of the restriction and describes his benefited land, if any, (b) describes the subject parcel, (c) names one or more of the persons appearing of record to own the subject parcel at the time, and (d) specifies the instrument imposing the restriction and its place of record in the public records.
MA Gen L ch 184 § 28 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part II - Real and Personal Property and Domestic Relations|Title I - Title to Real Property|Chapter 184 - General Provisions Relative to Real Property|Section 28 - Restrictions Imposed Before January 1, 1962; Limitations on Enforceability; Extension of Period

Section 28. No restriction imposed before January first, nineteen hundred and sixty-two shall be enforceable after the expiration of fifty years from its imposition unless a notice of restriction is recorded before the expiration of such fifty years or before January first, nineteen hundred and sixty-four, whichever is later, and in case of such recording, twenty years have not expired after the recording of any notice of restriction without the recording of a further notice of restriction.  A notice of restriction under this section shall not extend the period of enforceability unless (a) it meets the requirements specified by the last paragraph of section twenty-seven, or (b) the restriction was imposed as part of a common scheme applicable to four or more parcels contiguous except for any intervening streets or ways and the notice (1) is signed by a person then entitled of record to the benefit of the restriction and describes his benefited land, if any, (2) describes the subject parcels to be affected, and (3) specifies the way or ways, public or open to public use, upon which each such parcel abuts, or nearest to which it is located and its street number, if any, and (4) specifies the instrument imposing the restriction and its place of record in the public records. The holder of record of a recorded mortgage upon any land may sign a notice under this section in place of the owner thereof if the notice specifies the mortgage and its place of record in the public records and names one or more of the persons appearing of record to own the land at that time.
MA Gen L ch 184 § 29 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part II - Real and Personal Property and Domestic Relations|Title I - Title to Real Property|Chapter 184 - General Provisions Relative to Real Property|Section 29 - Notice or Extension of Restriction; Prerequisites

Section 29. No notice or extension of restriction under sections twenty-seven or twenty-eight shall be effective against a subject parcel (a) if its title is registered, unless the notice or extension is noted on the certificate or certificates of title thereof or (b) if its title is not registered, unless (1) the notice or extension is indexed in the grantor index under the names of the persons named therein as owners of the subject parcel, (2) if the instrument imposing the restriction is recorded at a registry of deeds, the notice or extension is noted on the margin of the record of the instrument, and (3) if the instrument imposing the restriction is a will, a duplicate or certified copy of the notice or extension is filed with the records of the probate of the will. No notice under clause (b) of section twenty-eight shall be effective unless indexed in a special index which each register shall maintain arranged alphabetically by city or town and within each city or town, by the ways named, in which are listed the books and pages of record of the notices of restriction and of the instruments therein specified as creating them. Where an instrument imposes more than one restriction a notice or extension may, if it so specifies, apply only to a particular restriction or restrictions. A notice under section twenty-seven or twenty-eight may be given with respect to any number of parcels subject to the restriction and may be joined in by the owners of any number of parcels having the benefit thereof and may be signed in behalf of any person by an attorney or agent and on behalf of any person under disability by a guardian, conservator or parent. No notice given under section twenty-seven or twenty-eight shall entitle any person to enforce a restriction other than the person giving the notice and his successors in title, nor entitle anyone to enforce a restriction if at the time of recording of the notice the restriction is for any reason no longer enforceable.
MA Gen L ch 184 § 34 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part II - Real and Personal Property and Domestic Relations|Title I - Title to Real Property|Chapter 184 - General Provisions Relative to Real Property|Section 34 - Good Faith Purchasers of Interests in Real Estate From Trustees; Binding Effect on Trust; Recording Conditions

Section 34. Any recordable instrument purporting to affect an interest in real estate executed by any person or persons who, in the records of the registry of deeds for the county or district in which the real estate lies, are or appear to be the trustees of a trust shall be binding on the trust in favor of a purchaser or other person relying in good faith on such instrument, notwithstanding (a) inconsistent provisions of the trust, unless said trust is recorded in said registry of deeds, with the place of recording referred to in some instrument in the chain of title to the real estate affected, (b) any amendment, revocation, removal or resignation of trustee, appointment of additional trustee, or other matter affecting the trust, unless the same is recorded in said registry of deeds and noted on the margin of said trust in said registry, or (c) any inadequacy in the consideration recited. As used in this section the term ''trust'' shall not include a trust under a will.
MA Gen L ch 184 § 35 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part II - Real and Personal Property and Domestic Relations|Title I - Title to Real Property|Chapter 184 - General Provisions Relative to Real Property|Section 35 - Trustee's Certificate; Requirements; Effect

Section 35. Notwithstanding section 25 to the contrary, a certificate sworn to or stated to be executed under the penalties of perjury, and in either case signed by a person who from the records of the registry of deeds or of the registry district of the land court, for the county or district in which real estate owned by a nontestamentary trust lies, appears to be a trustee thereunder and which certifies as to: (a) the identity of the trustees or the beneficiaries thereunder; (b) the authority of the trustees to act with respect to real estate owned by the trust; or (c) the existence or nonexistence of a fact which constitutes a condition precedent to acts by the trustees or which are in any other manner germane to affairs of the trust, shall be binding on all trustees and the trust estate in favor of a purchaser or other person relying in good faith on the certificate. The certificate most recently recorded in the registry of deeds for the county or district in which the real estate lies shall control.
MA Gen L ch 184a § 5 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part II - Real and Personal Property and Domestic Relations|Title I - Title to Real Property|Chapter 184a - Statutory Rule Against Perpetuities|Section 5 - Options; Preemptive Rights; Leases; Easements; Validity

Section 5. (a) An option in gross with respect to an interest in land or minerals or a preemptive right in the nature of a right of first refusal in gross with respect to an interest in land or minerals becomes invalid if it is not exercised within thirty years after its creation.  (b) A lease to commence at a time certain or upon the happening of a future event becomes invalid if its term does not actually commence in possession within thirty years after its execution.  (c) A nonvested easement in gross becomes invalid if it does not vest within thirty years after its creation.  (d) Any option in gross with respect to an interest in land or minerals, or a preemptive right in the nature of a right of first refusal in gross with respect to an interest in land or minerals, or a lease, or a nonvested easement in gross which option in gross, preemptive right in the nature of a right of first refusal in gross, lease, or nonvested easement in gross held by a government or government agency or subdivision or by a public instrumentality or public authority or by a quasi-public entity, or by an instrumentality created pursuant to chapter forty F becomes invalid if it is not exercised or becomes vested within fifty years after its creation.
MA Gen L ch 184a § 7 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part II - Real and Personal Property and Domestic Relations|Title I - Title to Real Property|Chapter 184a - Statutory Rule Against Perpetuities|Section 7 - Fee Simple Determinable in Land or Fee Simple Subject to Right of Entry for Condition Broken; Term

Section 7. A fee simple determinable in land or a fee simple in land subject to a right of entry for condition broken shall become a fee simple absolute if the specified contingency does not occur within thirty years from the date when such fee simple determinable or such fee simple subject to a right of entry becomes possessory. If such contingency occurs within said thirty years the succeeding interest, which may be an interest in a person other than the person creating the interest or his heirs, shall become possessory or the right of entry exercisable notwithstanding the rule against perpetuities.
MA Gen L ch 184a § 8 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part II - Real and Personal Property and Domestic Relations|Title I - Title to Real Property|Chapter 184a - Statutory Rule Against Perpetuities|Section 8 - Application to Legal and Equitable Interests

Section 8. This chapter shall apply to both legal and equitable interests.