Letter from the Executive Director for February 2026: Rent Control Opposition Donations Needed!

In January we were working hard on all fronts. Rent control was the main activity. In case you haven’t heard, rent control will be on the ballot this November 2026. It is a disaster inbound.

We raised enough with our in-person fundraisers to be able to put Foley Hoag on retainer for litigation against rent control. MassLandlords does not plan to be lead litigant. We are expecting to weigh in with a substantial amicus brief on the main case. Not only is the rent control ballot question unconstitutional, but the proponents are lying and cheating to sneak it through.

In addition, we can help other aggrieved parties with their own amicus briefs. Anyone renting to a senior below-market who can never again raise the rent to market, anyone who borrowed for a renovation that cannot charge post-renovation rents, anyone who lent money for a real estate investment who will lose the value of their collateral, please be in touch. Fundraising will continue until we have funded full project cost (more than just the retainer).

We also published a very detailed white paper proposing an alternative rent control ballot question, one that compensates owners for the otherwise harmful price reductions. Housing isn’t free. We describe this initiative at length in this edition.

The white paper and litigation are part of a three-pronged strategy, the sharpest prong of which will be the statewide ballot fight. Proponents of statewide rent control stand to be humiliated by their ill-written ballot text and willful ignorance of the history of rent control. We have the tools to win this fight. But it will be very expensive. The false promise of rent control will get halfway around the commonwealth before we have proofread our first advertisement. That is, unless housing providers like you dig deep and donate far more money than we have donated in the past. Donate now.

In general, housing providers are coming along for this ride. Membership is at an all-time high. Thank you.

We have already reported our first expenditures on the ballot fight, $26,634.30 in-kind in December alone, plus additional independent expenditures to be reported.

All of this fight takes place some distance away from the core of our services. We continue to do all the things we must do, even with a key team member on medical leave, including tax compliance, helping members access our services, maintaining our information systems and translating our services into Spanish. We also managed to find time to submit a grant application for biodiversity to go to the Massachusetts Urban Conservancy. And we met with a potential new partner for a slipstream of available electricians and plumbers, both of which are sorely needed and in short supply. There is a lot of work to do!

Please join as a member, encourage others to join, become a property rights supporter or increase your level of support.

Sincerely,

Doug

Executive Director

MassLandlords, Inc.