By Jasmine Naylor | MassLive | February 13, 2026
The Republican’s recent editorial, “Housing a key driver of state’s affordability crisis,” highlights a significant challenge facing Massachusetts. I am deeply concerned that the proposed rent control ballot measure will exacerbate it.
Experts know that the solution to the housing crisis is to build more housing. In regions that have implemented rent control policies, research has shown that new housing creation slows and existing rental units are taken off the market.
The proposal put forward in Massachusetts, which would mandate a maximum rental rate increase of the change in consumer price index or 5%, whichever is lower, is the most restrictive statewide rent control policy ever considered in the United States.
In 2024, an estimated 14,338 building permits were issued in the state, a drop in the bucket compared to the estimated 220,000 new homes we need to build to keep pace with demand. Mandated rent control will effectively halt construction, leading to fewer homes and less maintenance in existing units, raising costs for everyone.
Growing up, I experienced first hand the challenges of housing insecurity, which shaped my belief in the power of real estate as a tool for positive social change. I purchased my first multifamily home upon graduating college and today manage a portfolio of over 30 units in the Springfield area.