MassLandlords Filed Hundreds of Pages of Testimony Throughout 2025 Legislative Annual Session

By Kimberly Rau, MassLandlords, Inc.

MassLandlords filed more than 200 pages of testimony on a wide variety of bills during the first annual session of the 194th General Court.

MassLandlords weighed in on a variety of bills filed during a very busy legislative session year. (Image License: Khay Edwards for Unsplash)

Massachusetts’ legislative body serves in two-year terms, divided into two annual sessions. This current session (court) began Jan. 1, 2025, and will conclude in early 2027, following the 2026 elections.

Over the past year, we’ve submitted testimony addressing a range of proposed legislation, from rent control to in-home daycares. A lot of that testimony came from you. We appreciate your engagement with the legislative process, and your willingness to speak out on topics that matter most to rental housing providers.

Rent Control

Rent control has long been our top priority, based on member survey responses. And it seems like nearly every legislative session, rent control is kicked around by the legislature. This first annual session was no exception.

In July, we filed 86 pages of testimony opposing S.1447, “An Act enabling cities and towns to stabilize rents and protect tenants,” which had a hearing on July 29, 2025. In it, we attempted to educate the legislature about the disastrous effects rent control had the last time it was in place in Massachusetts.

Then in November, we filed 103 pages of testimony opposing several additional rent control bills: S.22, S.960, H.1477, H.1497, H.2328 and H.4063, all of which were scheduled for hearings on Nov. 19, 2025. Our submission included 53 separate pieces of testimony sent in by members. Some of that testimony was re-submitted from July. Other member submissions were new.

“Rent control has only one benefit: it helps constituents who are already renting an apartment when the bill passes into law,” we wrote in the introduction to our November testimony. “It hurts everyone else immediately and forever after.”

This is a separate issue from the 2026 ballot initiative, which is not sponsored by the legislature.

Our November testimony against rent control included testimony from 53 different member housing providers. Thank you! (Image License: cc BY-SA 4.0 jrau for MassLandlords, Inc.)

Rent Control Commission

On Nov. 19, 2025, the legislature also held a hearing for H.1526, “An Act establishing a rent stabilization commission.”

We submitted neutral testimony acknowledging that a commission is necessary, but stating the bill falls short of what is needed to truly address the housing crisis. Housing, we argued, is a complicated issue that requires a team of experts across multiple fields in order to find solutions.

“Such a housing commission would need experience in many fields, including development, rental housing operations, equity and decarbonization,” we wrote. “Then we would be able to prioritize the many conflicting priorities weighing on housing and draft policy in a way where everyone says ‘yes.’”

Fire Safety

In October 2025, we filed testimony in support of a fire safety bill S.1137, “An Act preventing fires and secondhand smoke in non-smoking rental housing.”

This bill would allow landlords who bring a for-cause eviction case for smoking in a nonsmoking rental property to use evidence of smoke detector tampering or removal as a “rebuttable presumption” that smoking had taken place in the unit.

In other words, the bill creates a legal presumption that there is no good reason for a renter to take down (or cover, or otherwise tamper with) a smoke detector. A renter who does has to prove in court that there was justification for doing so. If they cannot, the court will assume the renter has been smoking, and will enforce the rental agreement.

“Fire safety in rental housing is being critically undermined by smokers in no-smoking housing who take down their smoke alarms. This leaves all occupants of the building at risk of not just secondhand smoke from tobacco and cannabis but also fire from all causes,” we wrote in our submitted testimony.

“Landlords are presently almost entirely unable to enforce no-smoking rental agreements. The rules of evidence for smoking are applied too stringently. Landlords therefore file evictions for seemingly unrelated reasons. […] MassLandlords, Inc. supports ‘An Act preventing fires and secondhand smoke in non-smoking rental housing.’”

Daycares

In November, we were made aware of H.255, “An Act relative to enabling access and empowering early educators,” a bill that would allow in-home daycare centers to operate under residential-use zoning regulations.

This raised concern, as there are many liabilities that can come from running a home daycare center. We pointed out that multifamily properties may have other tenants with dangerous dogs. If a daycare is on the fourth floor, who will insist on window guards when no law currently exists to mandate them? What happens if the premises has lead paint?

“The bill seems to be a disagreeable workaround to zoning, which makes it too difficult to have mixed-use neighborhoods,” we wrote in our testimony. “If we want small businesses dotted throughout residential neighborhoods, why stop at childcare centers? Why not build clubs for seniors to stay connected…[w]hy not open restaurants and cafes?”

“All of these things should be solvable with the appropriate stakeholders at the table. It seems not to make sense to tackle daycares in this standalone way without broader input,” we concluded.

Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA)

We also submitted testimony in November opposing three separate bills that would allow for some form of tenant right of first refusal: S.998 and H.1544, both titled “An Act to guarantee a tenant’s right of first refusal,” and H.3910, “An Act authorizing the city of Somerville to enact right to purchase legislation.”

As presented, TOPA is a bad idea that opens the door to corrupt practices. We’ve kept it from passing before, and we’ll keep fighting it. Our testimony highlighted how tenant right of first refusal slows the real estate market, reduces tax revenue and does not benefit renters.

“If a property is actually purchased by a [community development corporation] … that lot will become tax-exempt, totally eliminating real estate tax revenue for that lot,” we wrote in our November testimony.

“It will be a race to the bottom for every town that adopts it. And the rest of us will pay via State Aid. This measure ought never pass.”

Homesharing

In July, we had the opportunity to submit testimony opposing H.1473 and S.992. These are similarly worded bills that promoted the idea of homesharing, which is essentially bartering housing for labor. Advocates state it is a way for seniors to age in place. We raised concerns about the potential for abuse, as well as the fact that the bills would place the onus of drafting rental agreement terms on the state. We questioned whether the state had the expertise to do so.

Finally, we pointed out that homesharing is already legal, in the sense that anyone who wants to attempt such an arrangement need only modify a rental agreement and comply by existing landlord-tenant laws.

“Whatever good intentions may be held by the petitioners can surely be addressed by other means while preserving employer-employee and landlord-tenant protections,” we concluded.

“There are myriad ways to imagine providing at-home care for seniors and the disabled without having to upend landlord-tenant and employment protections.”

Conclusion

Our mission is to create better rental housing. We do this by helping you be the best landlord you can be, and by advocating for better laws.

Your support in these endeavors is critical to our success, and we appreciate your testimony, engagement and financial support as we continue to make our voice heard where it matters most. Donations go to our general fund, making them tax deductible as a business expense (consult with your accountant). Consider becoming a property rights supporter if you aren’t already, or increasing your donation to help further our mission.