News Archives - Page 2 of 66 - MassLandlords.net

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

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.

Year 2021 Summary Process Filings Remain Below Pre-Pandemic Baseline

Updated March 27th, 2022 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

Updated April 7th, 2022 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

Updated April 6th, 2022 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

Updated May 5th, 2022 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

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

Updated April 7th, 2022 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

Updated April 7th, 2022 Posted in News - 1 Comment

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

Letter from the Executive Director for March 2022: Creating Better Rental Housing

Posted on February 23rd, 2022 Posted in News - 0 Comments

Our Letter from the Executive Director for March 2022 discusses our opposition to local rent control and right of first refusal, gives an update on our public records lawsuit and provides some business updates.

The Legislature Needs to Hear from You: Oppose Local Control of Housing Policy

Updated February 24th, 2022 Posted in News - 6 Comments

Screenshot of the MAPC zoning atlas showing huge swaths of what people think of as dense parts of the state that do not allow 2+ units on a lot. More than half of Boston is now effectively single family.

Oppose local control of housing policy. Rent control and right of first refusal will have exclusionary effects. Zoning reform is what's needed.