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Rent Control Ballot Initiative 2026

Posted on August 27th, 2025 Posted in News - 0 Comments

COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS. OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL. RE. PETITION 25-21. MEMORANDUM OF MASSLANDLORDS, INC.The Constitution prescribes the minimum number of signatures required for an initiative petition. Section 3 of Article of Amendment 48, as amended by Article of Amendment 74, provides that an initiative petition “shall first be signed by ten qualified voters of the commonwealth and shall be submitted to the attorney-general not later than the first Wednesday of the August before the assembling of the general court into which it is to be introduced” (emphasis added). However, the petition titled “An Initiative Petition to Protect Tenants by Limiting Rent Increases” (25-21) contains only six signatures. This is four short of the number that the...

A ballot initiative filed in 2025 seeks to make it to a 2026 statewide vote. Did MassLandlords single-handedly end it?

Letter from the Executive Director for September 2025: MUC GoFundMe!

Posted on August 27th, 2025 Posted in News - 0 Comments

Our Letter from the Executive Director for September 2025 reviews lots of work done in many different areas. The MUC GoFundMe is live!

Mass Save Designated Equity Communities Going Live; Billions for Decarbonization and Utility Savings Available

Posted on August 27th, 2025 Posted in News - 0 Comments

A view from a rooftop near the Massachusetts State capitol. Standing on this rooftop you might feel the warm fall sunset counteracting a cold breeze. You would likely hear traffic, kids laughing and screaming in the Boston Common, and people walking. These elements are all visible in the image.

Billions of dollars of distributive funding are available to decarbonize housing in Massachusetts thanks to the Mass Save plan.

SJC: Landlords May Not Deduct Cleaning Fees From Security Deposits

Posted on August 26th, 2025 Posted in News - 0 Comments

A close-up of a sponge on a soapy black countertop.

In Peebles v. JRK, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled landlords may not use the renter’s security deposit to pay for cleaning or other reasonable wear and tear, even if the lease requires it.

Renting Less Than Four Rooms: Sanitary Code Tips

Posted on August 26th, 2025 Posted in News - 0 Comments

A photograph of a bedroom with the door open, revealing a kitchen in the next room. A double bed with a gray bedspread takes up most of the room, with a dresser and window on the opposite wall. The walls are white.

Renting four or more rooms individually may require a license, but remember the state sanitary code provides rules for landlords renting out three or fewer rooms, as well.

What is a Lodging? When Do I Need a Rooming House License?

Posted on August 26th, 2025 Posted in News - 0 Comments

A photograph of a gray triple-decker house with a red SUV parked in front

What does it mean in Massachusetts for a building to be a lodging?

Massachusetts Urban Conservancy Launches First Fundraiser for Biodiversity Project in Randolph

First Published August 26th, 2025 | Updated August 28th, 2025 Posted in buildings, News - 0 Comments

Our new conservancy MUC is raising funds to support its first project, the purchase, protection and removal of invasive plants from a small plot in Randolph.

Testimony opposed to Homesharing as drafted. 194 S.992 H.1473 An Act to expand housing opportunities through homesharing.

Posted on August 3rd, 2025 Posted in News - 0 Comments

MassLandlords. Better communities. Better Policy. Better Lives. Our legal purpose is to create better rental housing. Testimony opposed to Homesharing as drafted. H.1473 An Act to expand housing opportunities through homesharing. S.992 An Act to expand housing options through homesharing. Prepared for The Joint Committee on Housing, General Court care of Luke O'Roark, luke.oroark@mahouse.gov, Meg Ribera, meg.ribera@masenate.gov. July 23, 2025.

The homesharing bills as drafted would allow 3-day evictions, would not require going to court, and would open the door to economic subservience and other social ills.

MassLandlords Submits Testimony in Support of RAFT Conditional on Public Records

Posted on July 31st, 2025 Posted in News - 0 Comments

Click the pdf to read the text. This image contains a preview of the pdf showing the one-page letter with signature of Doug Quattrochi.

MassLandlords will only support the RAFT program if it contains a provision that its records are public records, insofar as they describe the address the public is paying for.

Can Landlords Charge Move-Out and Item Removal Fees in Massachusetts?

Posted on July 29th, 2025 Posted in News - 0 Comments

A residential garage space is full of old furniture and some tools and other items. A green lawn chair sits front and center in front of an old desk or workbench.

Billing your former tenants for trash removal, abandoned items or other move-out costs may be lawful, but use caution.