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A day after blocking a bill that would temporarily halt all evictions and foreclosures, Republican Rep. Shawn Dooley said Friday he would no longer stand in its way, but remains concerned about potential impacts on “small-time property owners.”
The bill passed Friday afternoon and now heads to Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk. The bill bars landlords from filing eviction notices on residential and small business renters, and a moratorium on home foreclosures, during the state of emergency.
Dooley also questioned the process House and Senate Democrats used to reach their compromise, accusing them of excluding Republican Rep. Peter Durant, who sat on the conference committee but who, according to Dooley, was not consulted.
“Since this bill is strongly supported by most of my colleagues and is being pushed hard by the Governor, I will not stand in its way and I can only hope and pray that I am wrong of the effects it will have. Time will tell,” Dooley said in a nearly three-page statement on Friday.
Dooley blocked the bill (H.4647) from advancing at Thursday’s session and then was unavailable afterwards to explain his concerns.
Dooley said he is “very much in favor of eviction protection for all tenants” during the coronavirus public health crisis, but worries about landlords who live in multi-family homes and rely on rents to pay their mortgages and other bills.
“This bill does nothing to encourage a collaborative solution, which could have easily been achieved with just a few simple lines and allowing for a conference with a judge or court magistrate to intervene,” Dooley said. “If the landlord is a jerk and unwilling to be reasonable – then hammer him – but to hamstring the entire process because of a few bad apples is not good governance.”
Greg Vasil, CEO of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board, said the bill contains insufficient protections for multifamily landlords.
“From an industry perspective, it’s not a balanced bill. It’s still heavily weighted in favor of the tenant, and we’re hoping the multifamily industry doesn’t become collateral damage,” Vasil said.
Updated 3:16 p.m., April 17, 2020: This story has been updated to reflect that the bill has now passed the House.
