Press Release: White Paper Pushes For Compensated Form of Rent Control via Ballot Question Alternative

Landlords encourage legislators to supersede ballot question for which signatures have been gathered.

MASSACHUSETTS, Jan. 16, 2026 - With an escalating housing crisis and the nation’s most restrictive statewide rent control initiative on the ballot for November, MassLandlords, the statewide trade association for rental housing providers, is urging the legislature to place on the ballot an alternative rent control question that benefits both renters and landlords. It would also preserve municipal tax revenue, a drawback to rent control, which historically depreciates property value.

The 36-page, full-color white paper went to 250 recipients, including the full legislature. The proposed alternative could go alongside the existing ballot question in November. To do so, the legislature must act during the first quarter of 2026.

MGL Chapter 40P already provides a local option for rent control, as long as it is voluntary, and the difference between the controlled rate and market rate is made up by the municipality. This addresses a primary reason rent control doesn’t work.

“Advocates for rent stabilization have been calling for it for 30 years,” MassLandlords wrote in the white paper. “It’s past time we gave it to them, but in a way that does not have the harmful unintended consequences of every form of rent control recently proposed.”

The pending ballot initiative calls for the deletion of Chapter 40P, as well as one of the strictest mandatory statewide rent caps in the nation. There are no exceptions for vacancies or renovation.

In contrast, the white paper offers a local option for voluntary stabilization, where renters could breathe easier with more affordable rents, and housing providers would be able to continue operating.

If a municipality were to enact this version of rent stabilization, the monthly cost to local taxpayers is estimated to be around the cost of a pizza per month depending on eligibility.

The process by which the legislature can propose an alternative ballot question is in the state constitution. It has not been used in recent memory. The purpose is to prevent unrealistic proposals being enacted by ballot. If both versions pass, the legislature’s version prevails.

Read the white paper. Read about the history of rent control in Massachusetts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: The press release mentions a first-quarter timeline. The white paper cover says the legislature must act by January. Why?
A: The legislature has until May 5, 2026, to act upon all ballot question proposals. In order to get an alternative question on the ballot, there is a lot to do before then. The wheels must be in motion well before May.

Q: Why is the white paper dated December 1 in the footer?
A: That's the date of writing and our mistake. The white paper was mailed Jan. 14, 2026.