During the pandemic stay-at-home order, people needed to have a home to stay in. And during the medical and economic recovery that lies ahead,
the Commonwealth's residents may need this housing for a long while yet to come.
We have said from the beginning that this shared burden should be covered by the Commonwealth as a whole. No one should be evicted
because of the pandemic or its aftermath. No housing provider should be asked to provide this needed public housing for free, to pay for
upcoming months or years of repairs, real estate taxes, utilities, and mortgages without income.
The eviction moratorium is a Band-Aid, but stitches are required.
We have developed and found funding for a Fair and Equal Housing Guarantee via Surety Bonds, but
none in leadership have agreed to file it. We have asked the Governor not to extend the moratorium, but he
has extended it to October and may extend it again after that. The amount of rent relief so far organized from federal, state, and municipal sources
seems to be adding up to less than 10% of the funding that will be required by the time we get through this.
We now turn to the courts to make it clear, on a case-by-case basis, how much damage has been done. We are not launching an assault
on the constitutionality of the moratorium. At this event,
we will announce the Individual Claims Council, a network of attorneys
who are now collaborating and available to help landlords make individual claims against the Commonwealth. The purpose is not to evict
anyone. The purpose is to obtain the reasonable compensation to which we are now
entitled as providers of public housing during a pandemic, and to eliminate our renter's unpaid obligations by court ordered
public subsidy. Together the Commonwealth can keep us all housed.
This initiative will run in parallel to our continued advocacy for a Fair and Equal Housing Guarantee via Surety Bonds.
MassLandlords Legislative Affairs Counsel Attorney Peter Vickery
This part of the presentation will be given by Peter Vickery of Bobrowski
& Vickery, LLC. Attorney Vickery practices law in Western Massachusetts where he focuses on landlord-tenant law
(representing landlords in Housing Court) and discrimination defense (representing business owners in the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination).
He graduated from Oxford University (Jesus College) with a BA in Modern History; obtained his Post-Graduate Diploma in Law from the University of the
West of England in Bristol; his JD from Boston University School of Law; and his Masters in Public Policy & Administration from the University of Massachusetts,
Amherst. Attorney Vickery served one term on the Governor's Council (the elected 8-member body that approves or vetoes the governor's choice of judges in Massachusetts) and on the State Ballot Law Commission. As Legislative Affairs Counsel for MassLandlords he drafts bills, bill summaries, and testimony in the area of housing law,
and writes amicus briefs in cases that have strategic significance for rental-property owners.
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MassLandlords offers attendees of directly managed events a "No Sales Pitch" guarantee. If a guest speaker offers services, their presentation will not discuss pricing, promotions, or reasons why you should hire them.
We do not permit speakers to pay for or sponsor events. Guest speakers are chosen for their expertise and willingness to present helpful
educational content. Your purchase of an event ticket sustains our nonprofit model.
Open to attendees statewide
This event is regionally branded in keeping with a local tradition. This region used to meet in-person on this day at this time.
You are welcome to participate in this virtual meeting no matter where you are in the state.
Thursday, September 10th
Virtual Meeting Agenda
4:10pm Sign-in and virtual networking: you can chit chat with others as people log in
4:40pm MassLandlords Business Update and Member Minutes
Member Minutes - Any member can have the mic for 60 seconds (introduce yourself, ask a question, share words of wisdom, etc.)
5:05pm Local Manager Meeting Introduction
5:10pm Individual Claims Council
6:00pm Virtual meeting ends
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As a result of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, our events have been replaced by webinars or virtual meetings
held during the traditional event time for each former location:
Virtual meetings include optional audience participation via video, phone, and screenshare
and are not recorded.
Webinars have limited participation options (typed questions only) and are recorded.
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allowed to talk to others if your microphone is good and there is no background noise.
We reserve the right to mute anyone for any reason. Attendees without a microphone or who don't want to be heard can type questions.
Virtual Meeting Details (hosted by Zoom)
We will share our video, audio, and computer screen and slides.
Optional: You can share your video with everyone, talk to everyone, and type chat with everyone. Video sharing is not required. Talking is not required.
Topic: Springfield and Statewide Virtual Meeting September 10, 2020
Time: Sep 10, 2020 04:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 852 1210 7923
Passcode: Will be emailed
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Meeting ID: 852 1210 7923
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Open to the public. Membership is not required!
Contemporaneous participation:
Public: $10
Members: $7
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