Owners push back against proposed rent control ballot question
By Crystal Yormick | Boston University Statehouse Program | December 15, 2025 Advocates for small property owners describe the rent control proposal likely headed for next fall’s ballot as the most “restrictive and aggressive” the state has seen to date and say it would be detrimental to small landlords in the industry. Small property owners […]
What the Twin Cities Tell Us About Fixing the Housing Crisis
By Rebecca Picciotto | The Wall Street Journal | December 15, 2025 ST. PAUL and MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.—Dueling approaches over how to fix America’shousing crisis are splitting Minnesota’s Twin Cities. In 2022, St. Paul enacted one of the strictest rent-control regimes in the country. Theordinance capped annual rent increases at 3% for most apartments, even empty […]
Editorial: Another rent control failure in NYC
The Boston Herald Editorial Board | December 13, 2025 A 2026 Massachusetts ballot initiative establishing rent control cleared a major signature-gathering hurdle last month, with proponents hailing it as a solution to high housing costs. Before supporters get too excited, perhaps they should consider New York City’s predicament. Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani wants to bring sweeping […]
Opinion: Los Angeles tries to ‘fix’ rent control
By Kerry Jackson | The Boston Herald OPINION | December 9, 2025 Los Angeles is one of more than a dozen California cities with rent-control laws, and by no coincidence, is one of the most unaffordable places to live. The City Council recently approved a proposal that gives owners more leeway to raise rents. It’s by […]
ICYMI: Maryland Sees Significant Drop in New Multifamily Permitting Amid New Rent Control Regulations
BOSTON, MA – December 5, 2025 – Vanguard News Group reported this week that Montgomery County, Maryland, has seen a dramatic decline in multifamily housing development since adopting rent control. New multifamily permits fell from 2,093 between January and August 2024 to just 84 during the same period in 2025. Other counties that did not […]
Rent control could soon be in the hands of Massachusetts voters
By Leia Green | Your Arlington | December 5, 2025 A measure that would slap restrictions on rent hikes across the state is hurtling toward the 2026 statewide ballot, pitting rent control advocates against Massachusetts’ largest real estate associations. The ballot question — which would tie rent increases to rises in cost of living with […]
2026 ballot campaigns, both their volume and scope, a top concern for Beacon Hill leaders
By Gintautas Dumcius | MassterList | November 25, 2025 Most Massachusetts voters probably haven’t given much thought to the proposals that could land on their ballots in 2026. But potential ballot questions were top of mind for Beacon Hill leaders when they met for a check-in on Monday. “Forty-four of them,” House Speaker Ron Mariano […]
Massachusetts rent control initiative gains amid affordability push
By Richard Lawson | HousingWire | November 24, 2025 With an eye on New York City voters who favored housing affordability in this month’s mayoral election, Massachusetts housing advocates are optimistic they can win at the ballot box next year with statewide rent control. The coalition group Homes for All Massachusetts collected more than enough […]
‘They’re making a huge bet’: Rent control referendum splits progressives
By Chris Lisinski and Jennifer Smith | CommonWealth Beacon | November 21, 2025 In the three decades since voters narrowly banned rent control in Massachusetts, every swing to revive even the mildest version of the policy has connected with nothing but air. Requests from Boston, Brookline, and Somerville withered on Beacon Hill, statewide bills stalled out, and ballot measures fell apart […]
Massachusetts Real Estate Leaders Warn Rent Control Ballot Question Would Deepen Housing Crisis
Boston Real Estate Times | November 18, 2025 BOSTON — Three of Massachusetts’ leading real estate organizations are sounding the alarm over a proposed statewide rent control ballot question, warning that the measure would worsen the Commonwealth’s housing shortage, deter investment, and destabilize local budgets. In a joint letter sent to mayors and chamber leaders […]