Blog - Archived - Page 27 of 106

Landlording by the Numbers April 2022

First Published April 4th, 2022 | Updated May 2nd, 2022 Posted in News - 0 Comments

Infographic: Landlording By the Numbers. What’s up, what’s down? What’s in, what’s out? This monthly feature is a brief statistical snapshot of the landlording and housing industries. 30 days. Required for serving a Notice to Quit for nonpayment in Massachusetts. This required period was raised from 14 days in 2020 as part of the economic response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The 30-day requirement remains in effect. $2,381. The difference in average apartment rents between Boston and Springfield, Mass. (reported by rentcafe, August 2021). 3rd highest. The rank of Massachusetts in terms of rent prices, among 56 U.S. states and territories. 19%. Percentage increase in average rents in Massachusetts year-over-year in October 2021. (Apartmentguide.com)

Letter from the Executive Director for April 2022: Technical Improvements, Lawsuit Waiting

First Published April 3rd, 2022 | Updated April 6th, 2022 Posted in News - 0 Comments

Our Letter from the Executive Director for April 2022 discusses the various technical improvements and new events and articles we’ve produced. Our lawsuit is still waiting for a hearing.

Retrospective: How $1 Trillion Renovation Created Gentle Density Utopia in Bay State

Posted on April 1st, 2022 Posted in humor, policy - 2 Comments

a sketchbook lies folded open with a pencil on top. A pencil list that reads “Meeting notes: Gentle Density, Creative Zoning, ADUs, Green Space, Transit Options, Monorail, Public Outreach, Plunger Rocket!” occupies most of the page. In the lower right corner, a sketched rocket ship that looks like a toilet plunger blasts off, with fire coming from under the plunger dome. License: Cc by SA 4.0_MassLandlords Inc

April Fool’s Day 2022 gives us a full year to study the April 1, 2021, grant, when world governments stopped subsidizing fossil fuels. Massachusetts was selected as one of the first six jurisdictions for renovation.

Year 2021 Summary Process Filings Remain Below Pre-Pandemic Baseline

First Published March 24th, 2022 | Updated June 4th, 2024 Posted in News - 0 Comments

picture of a graph with blue lines marking summary process filings graph points from November 2020 to January 2022, set against two orange lines framing the range of expected filings based on 2019 statistics.

A 2021 snapshot of MassLandlords’ data reports shows summary process court filings continued at lower-than-expected levels.

State: No More Federally Funded Rental Assistance Program Applications on or Around April 15

First Published March 22nd, 2022 | Updated April 13th, 2023 Posted in News - 0 Comments

Image shows a monthly calendar for April 2022 with Friday, April 15 circled in red. The calendar has a border with blue abstract lines. The calendar itself has a background image of a two-story white house on the lower left-hand side.

New applicants will still be able to apply for state rental assistance programs after April 15, subject to funding availability.

How to Avoid Housing Discrimination Based on Genetic Information

First Published March 21st, 2022 | Updated April 13th, 2023 Posted in News - 0 Comments

A white woman with light brown hair wearing a blue blazer and white shirt stands in front of a white two-story house on a green lawn. The house is covered in a pattern of a DNA double helix. The background of the image is also a muted blue and purple DNA double helix on a white background.

Though protections for genetic information primarily apply to employers, landlords must also be aware of the law.

Rent Control Reform in Cambridge: 1991 Report Paints Grim Picture of Stabilized Housing

First Published March 18th, 2022 | Updated April 13th, 2023 Posted in News - 0 Comments

A large infographic with a blue and gold background detailing the public’s concerns with rent control, and the Rent Control Subcommittee’s proposed solutions. It reads, from left to right: Rent Control Problems and Proposed Solutions. These were major reported issues with rent control in 1991, and the Subcommittee on Rent Control’s Proposed Solution. Problem: Random timing of general rent adjustments make it hard to budget or plan improvements. Solution: Annual Adjustment Rate. Problem: Access to rent controlled apartments is uneven, often involves bribes. Solution: Establish a Housing Access Office. Problem: Multiple general and individual adjustment rent increases were levied in under two years. Rent increases up to 60 percent were reported. Solution: Rent Increase Cap. Problem: RCB has not been proactively investigating and prosecuting violations of Full Occupancy Ordinance. Solution: Create a Compliance Office position, ensure enforcement. Problem: Many rent controlled are buildings in very poor condition. Solution: Affordable Housing Preservation Fund. Problem: Condominium Transition Exemptions have been inappropriately used. Solution: Remove transitional exemptions/condominium evictions. Problem: Enforcement of reported code violations “woefully deficient.” Solution: City manager should review the entire Inspectional Services Department. Problem: Expiring use is a concern. Solution: RCB should study the feasibility of placing units under rent control when regulations expire. Problem: No way to know where all deteriorating properties are. Solution: City-wide survey of all rent controlled buildings. Problem: Rent control law is complex, hard to understand and constantly changing. Solution: RCB should continue to increase communication efforts. Problem: Individual rent adjustments are hard for the RCB to grant. Solution: RCB should establish a tenant initiative program. Problem: There are no clear standards for “affiliate housing.” Solution: Review affiliate housing and remove units that do not qualify. Problem: RCB is source of delays on issue resolution; negatively impacts small property owners. Solution: Small Landlord Program that provides resolution for small landlords within 90 days. Problem: Finding financing for improvements can be difficult. Solution: Offer a low-interest loan program for small landlords. Problem: Processing eviction cases takes longer than it should. Solution: 45-day limit to resolve uncontested evictions. Problem: Minimum rent levels are impossible with the lack of information about many applicable units. Solution: City-wide survey/housing census. Problem: Not everything should require a formal hearing process. Solution: Voluntary mediation program for owner-tenant disputes. Problem: Funding can be hard to obtain. Solution: Cambridge should invest with banks that do not restrict loans for rent controlled housing.

A study on the state of rent control found problems with inspections, rent increases and accessibility. There’s no guarantee history wouldn’t repeat itself if rent control were reinstated.

Notes from Boston Eviction Moratorium Appeal Hearing January 19, 2022

First Published February 23rd, 2022 | Updated April 14th, 2022 Posted in News - 0 Comments

alt: View of City Hall Plaza from One Beacon Street. Faneuil Hall, at upper right, has an American flag covering construction scaffolding. CC BY-SA 4.0 NewtonCourt.

The legality of the Boston eviction moratorium is adjudicated in housing court, as it weighs whether to grant a stay on the moratorium pending appeal.

MassLandlords: Don’t stop landlords from trying to recover owed rent from the pandemic

First Published February 23rd, 2022 | Updated April 14th, 2023 Posted in News - 0 Comments

An ipad with an attached white Apple pencil sits on top of a dark-grain wooden table. On the iPad’s screen, the first page of an amicus brief is visible, black text on a white background reading “Commonwealth of Massachusetts Appeals Court 2020-P-1427, Jose Sanchez, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Jimmie L. Collins Defendant-Appellee, on appeal from a judgment of the housing court eastern division, Brief of Amicus Curiae, MassLandlords, Inc.”

Amicus brief filed by MassLandlords argues that the act establishing the eviction moratorium specifically did not restrict a landlord from attempting to recover rent

Chicopee Housing Authority’s Executive Director Charged with Discrimination

First Published February 23rd, 2022 | Updated April 13th, 2023 Posted in News - 4 Comments

A group of nine people in business casual attire sit around a brown wood rectangular conference table. The person closest to the camera on the left side of the table is not fully in frame. Papers and books are scattered on the table’s surface.

Housing discrimination allegations against Monica Blazic include a preference for white tenants and denying disability accommodations