Letter from the Executive Director for March 2026: Rent Control Volunteers Needed!

February saw further progress and planning toward the statewide rent control ballot opposition. But we got good and bad news from the Southern Worcester County Landlord Association. We continued to develop our services, as well.

In case you haven’t heard, statewide rent control will be on the ballot this November 2026. It will end all renovations and cram all rental housing operators down below inflation over time. Section 8 mobile vouchers will also be subjected to rent control below the payment standards.

It will be very important to mobilize volunteers for the statewide ballot opposition. Please volunteer.

Litigation was filed Friday, Feb. 9, paid for by an industry coalition naming four specific plaintiffs, all landlords. The case argues that it is unconstitutional to delete the existing rent control law, which requires towns compensate owners. A ballot question cannot ask voters to vote away a right to compensation. A previous ballot question was struck down for this very reason. It’s a strong argument. We’ll cover this and the MassLandlords amicus briefs in a future article.

Plaintiffs are needed for the amicus briefs: Anyone renting to a senior below-market, anyone who borrowed for a renovation that cannot charge post-renovation rents, anyone who lent money for a real estate investment, or anyone who would convert to condos or sell out, please be in touch.

We got difficult news from the Southern Worcester County Landlord Association. After maintaining a good volunteer culture for longer than MassLandlords has been around, the board of directors have announced they will be shutting down the organization. It has been very difficult to draw a crowd to events. They have tried many things. They will be transferring their assets to MassLandlords (a substantial sum). We will put the money to good use. But we could have wished for a growing presence at events there. If you have ideas about how to engage and encourage repeat attendance at local events, please be in touch.

In the meantime, we have much to do to create better rental housing. The Housing Court have agreed to share with housing specialists our training on the electrification agreement, which could impact renter and landlord rights. Also, we were key participants in a difficult Mass Save meeting on expanding access to clean jobs; we made a concrete suggestion to help both sides of the issue make progress. And our Spanish site is now live for enrollments.

We are actively fighting rent control. 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.