Housing advocates press Legislature to act on rent control

Housing activists from across Massachusetts gathered in front of the State House on Tuesday, calling on lawmakers to pass rent control legislation.

“We are here because the Legislature can pass rent control tomorrow,” New England Community Project director Mimi Ramos told reporters gathered at the steps of the state capitol. “But we’re also here because we can take this to the streets.”

Ramos’s group was one of dozens around the state that collected more than 124,000 signatures in support of the measure, far more than the 79,000 required for petitions to secure a spot on the November ballot.

When considering a ballot measure, legislators have the option to avoid a statewide vote by passing enacting a compromise bill.

State Sen. Pat Jehlen of Somerville last year filed Senate Bill 1447 that would give cities and towns the option of imposing their own limits on the size of rent increases, with exemptions for some dwellings including buildings with four or fewer units, units occupied by tenants with Section 8 vouchers, and elderly buildings.

Jehlen said in a phone interview that she’s hopeful lawmakers will take up her bill, which is co-sponsored by Sen. Adam Gomez of Springfield and was introduced in February of last year.

“The leadership of both houses have criticized the ballot process as not being as thoughtful as the legislative process,” she said. “But when the Legislature doesn’t act, people get frustrated.”

Mark Martinez, an attorney with the National Law Reform Institute, said lawmakers realize there is momentum for the ballot question, with polls consistently showing the yes vote in the lead and a steady stream of pressure from constituents, many of whom testified in favor of the ballot measure during a hearing last week.

“I think there’s a path there for us to come together with the Legislature and work on a compromise piece of legislation before we get to the ballot,” he said during Tuesday’s rally. “It’s a narrow path, but a path.”

The ballot question is being advanced by a coalition headed by Homes for All Massachusetts. It would impose a statewide limit on rent increases to the consumer price index and cap them at no more than 5 percent a year, with exemptions for new construction and buildings with four or fewer units.

In previous years, many of the same groups pushing for rent control have pushed for legislation similar to Sen. Jehlen’s bill that would allow individual cities and towns to vote on their own rent control measures.
But lawmakers have so far been unwilling to take rent control measures to a vote. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu in 2023 sought to advance a more modest form of rent control, limiting rent increases to no more than 10 percent a year through a home rule petition. Lawmakers refused to take up the measure.

Carolyn Chou, executive director of Homes for All Massachusetts, said she hopes the coalition’s signature drive, the polling on the ballot measure, and last week’s hearing will spur lawmakers into action.

“We’re optimistic that the Legislature has seen the need and energy for rent control through the ballot driver and the ongoing legislative work,” Chou said.

But Chou said she’s confident the rent control measure will win in November, should it go to a ballot referendum.

“We know from talking to voters across the state that not only is housing the number one issue, but also that rent increases are destabilizing communities,” she said. “This is really about winning real improvements for the people of Massachusetts.”

Renters and two landlords spoke during the Tuesday rally before activists entered the State House to talk to lawmakers.

East Boston resident Annette Diaz said a corporate landlord raised her rent three times last year, resulting in $750 in cumulative hikes.

“When our representatives ask us to vote for them, we do,” she said. “Now it’s their turn.”

This article was originally published in the Dorchester Reporter.