How to File Written Testimony Against Rent Cancellation 191 H.4878 HD.5166 S.2831 SD.2992

The rent cancellation bills have a hearing scheduled for Tuesday July 28. Every landlord must provide written testimony against these bills. We have written about these bills before:

Please use these talking points to craft a custom message opposed. Example below.

Remember most legislators don’t care about mom and pop housing providers. Renters outnumber landlords ten to one. Renter advocates outspend landlords a thousand to one. We tend to offer only small amounts of votes and campaign contributions by comparison. Tell the legislators how their bills will make it harder for renters and municipalities.

Written Testimony Template

 

Email address:

landlord@example.com

 

Full name:

Given_Name Family_Name

 

Organization:

Happy Farm Estates, LLC

Tell them your business name or "sole proprietor." MassLandlords staff will file as "MassLandlords".

 

Phone Number:

555-123-4567

 

You must give real contact information or your testimony may be invalidated. You can give a business number. If you do not already have a publicly searchable phone number and do not want to list your phone, create a number for free at Google Voice. If they are trying to discourage you from testifying, don't let them. Remember as well that most cell phones now have a built-in "block number" feature and that the law prohibits sending spam SMS.

 

Testimony on H4878/S2831:

I’m a constituent of (Representative Name) and (Senator Name) and I strongly oppose 191 H.4878 HD.5166 S.2831 SD.2992 “An Act to guarantee housing stability during the COVID-19 emergency and recovery”.

(Use the "Find My Legislator" link to customize your testimony for your Rep and Senator.)

(Insert a custom message here about how your renters/customers will be impacted:

in addition to some of our talking points from the links above, consider focusing on and detailing one of the following:

  • You cannot afford to rent apartments, meaning less housing choice for new residents;
  • You will increase your screening criteria, making it tougher for bad credit, minor criminal, and other marginal applications to qualify for housing;
  • You cannot afford to maintain your buildings, making for unsightly or unsafe conditions until you can sell;
  • You have been a good landlord but you are sick of being unappreciated, you are going to pause, retire, or quit if they pass this; or
  • A nonprofit that buys your building will pay no real estate tax, which if municipal levies remain fixed, will cause taxes to go up on all single family owners.)

Finally, let me say how inefficient and confusing it is for bills to be assigned both a docket number and a branch number. Please amend the Joint Rules of the Senate and House of Representatives to require each branch to maintain the original docket number as the bill number until the bill has been revised or conferenced.

I urge you to send these bills to study, they should not pass. Please support the alternative, a "Fair and Equal Housing Guarantee via Surety Bonds."

 

File Online

(Yes, the Commonwealth really is using google sheets to collect and manage testimony.) Deadline: 9am Tuesday July 28, 2020. If you file between 9am and 12pm, as they say you can, they are less likely to read it. File it before the hearing starts.

MassLandlords Testimony

We will be filing all of our talking points ourselves as MassLandlords. There is no need to copy-paste our entire talking points. Craft a custom message from you to your legislators. A unique message is more likely to be read.

4 Responses to How to File Written Testimony Against Rent Cancellation 191 H.4878 HD.5166 S.2831 SD.2992

  1. Robert J says:

    Your talking point Re: getting an eviction after moratorium ends: You say would have to go to small claims court to collect. There is a limit to a small claims judgement. It was raised a while ago, but wouldn’t amount to much compared to what would likely be past due. Not likely to collect on the judgement anyways if they had a “non-essential” job to start with.

  2. Daniel Lessard says:

    Testimony on H4878/S2831:

    I’m a constituent of (Representative Joseph D, Mckenna and (Senator Ryan C Fatman) and I strongly oppose 191 H.4878 HD.5166 S.2831 SD.2992 “An Act to guarantee housing stability during the COVID-19 emergency and recovery”.
    This has been a trying time for all. The proposal will make it harder for all. I have in the past rented to families with marginal application. I will not in the future if this passes. I will increase my screening and the families that I may have taken a chance on I will not.
    The increase in the cost of keeping a apartment in compliance is getting harder and more expensive.
    As things get harder I may no choice but to look to a nonprofit to buy my building they pay no real estate tax, which if municipal levies remain fixed, will cause taxes to go up on all single family owners. The investors will hesitate to get involved in buying property with little or no return.
    I feel I am a good landlord I try to stay up to date with the constant change of regulations. I have talked to other landlords and this is the feeling of many. I feel that this may be the final blow and selling to an investor or a non profit may be my only choice. I can guarantee that they will not put the work and pride that I put in to keep the property and apartment up and work with the families that rent from me and many other landlords.
    I would also in closing say that I do not know if it is on purpose or by design that the bills to be assigned both a docket number and a branch number. Please amend the Joint Rules of the Senate and House of Representatives to require each branch to maintain the original docket number as the bill number until the bill has been revised or voted on.
    I urge you to send these bills to study, they should not pass. Please support the alternative, a “Fair and Equal Housing Guarantee via Surety Bonds.”
    I only ask that the legislature be fair to the landlords.
    Thank You for your help in this matter
    Daniel Lessard

  3. Mark Andrews says:

    I am Mark A Andrews and my full employment is owning, managing and renting income property. Forty percent of my rents received pay for taxes, insurance And water/sewer bills.
    Then I pay for trash service, landscaping, snow removal and repairs.
    Then I pay the mortgage, very little is left to live on.
    Will my properties not be taxed? Will the water sewer be free? Will the Board of Health waive all repairs for a year. NO THEY WILL NOT.
    This bill is terribls

  4. Lori Wertz says:

    Unfortunately I just found Masslandlords.net website today. I own a 2-Family home on the North Shore which I live in. I’m a single mother with a teenage daughter, recently separated and had to refinance to buy my husband out of the house. My new mortgage payment has almost doubled, and my taxes went up in January significantly.

    My tenant who is single man is a Master Electrician, an essential worker and has been working and making money. He was falling behind on his rent since before Christmas 2019, and I started the eviction process in February 2020, had a court date to evict on 3/18/20 and 3 days before our court date the courts were shut down due to Covid 19.

    I have offered to forgive him 4 months rent for him to leave and he still won’t leave. And why should he leave, he can live rent free while working and getting paid, and continue to not pay rent and he will have no consequences for it. It’s outrageous! The laws have to change in Massachusetts. Tenants should have to prove their financial hardship and can’t pay their rent in order for them to “not” be evicted. And if they qualify for Rental Assistance, Massachusetts should pay Landlords directly – otherwise any money the tenant receives will go right in their pocket, not to pay rent.

    I wish I had seen this yesterday so I could be heard. I will still send a letter to my local State Representives, and my Local Congressman Seth Molton

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