Real Estate Transfer Tax Pitched as Missing Link for Housing
The battle for a local-option real estate transfer tax has risen from the dead, with municipal leaders asking Beacon Hill to help them raise money for affordable housing.
Rent Control Forces Back Before Legislature
Advocates took to Beacon Hill on Tuesday to try to convince lawmakers to advance a policy to limit rent hikes, while real estate industry leaders decried the idea as counterproductive, but there seems to be little appetite on Beacon Hill to revisit the idea.
Rent Control Supporters Lifted by AG’s Ruling
Real estate groups say they will appeal Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s certification of a rent control ballot question.
Rent Control Could Be Headed for 2024 Statewide Vote
Massachusetts residents could have a chance to repeal the state’s 30-year ban on municipal-level rent control measures, following Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s decision to allow a referendum on the topic onto the state’s 2024 ballot.
Opponents Challenge Constitutionality of Proposed Rent Control Ballot Q
A burgeoning campaign seeking to revive rent control in some communities already faces stiff, well-funded opposition on policy grounds, and now it will need to withstand a constitutional challenge as well.
Rent Control Ballot Question in the Offing for ’24
Previous efforts to reverse the ban or revive the policies in a handful of specific communities have failed to gain momentum with legislative leaders.
Ex-Worcester City Manager Tapped as Housing Secretary
Gov. Maura Healey has named former Worcester City Manager Ed Augustus as the state’s first housing secretary in 30 years.
Bipartisan Housing Caucus Launched on Beacon Hill
It’s one measure of the seriousness of Massachusetts’ housing issues that the leader of the state Senate’s Republicans has joined a caucus co-led by a staunch supporter of rent control.
Mass General Brigham Backs Transfer Tax To Address Housing Crunch
Citing housing affordability hurdles that are compounding workforce challenges, one of the state’s largest health care employers is getting behind a proposal to allow cities and towns in Massachusetts to put a new fee on housing transactions.
Legislature Leaves Eviction Crisis to Baker, Courts
House and Senate leaders on Beacon Hill chose not to intervene at the last minute to block the expiration this weekend of the state’s moratorium on evictions and foreclosures.
Eviction Protection Bill Clears Committee on Party Line Vote
The Joint Committee on Housing voted along party lines Wednesday to recommend a bill that would halt evictions and freeze rents until a year after Gov. Charlie Baker lifts the COVID-19 state of emergency.
Housing Choices Reemerges; Vote Planned Today
A zoning reform long sought by Gov. Charlie Baker has reemerged as part of an economic development bill intended to help the state and local communities respond to the coronavirus pandemic.
Beacon Hill: Beware Pandora’s Box
If legislators pass one of the leading proposals on Beacon Hill to deal with a possible eviction crisis without offering funding equal to its scope, they could be opening a pandora’s box.
WinnCompanies Extends Own Eviction Moratorium
Massachusetts’ largest affordable housing operator is extending its moratorium on evictions for tenants with financial hardship through Dec. 31 in response to lingering COVID-19 impacts.
Eviction Moratorium Backers See Short Window for Passage
With the clock ticking for potential legislative action to extend housing relief measures, sponsors of a new bill aimed at preserving a mandatory pause on housing removals highlighted support and strategies on Thursday.
Housing Committee Votes Big for Rent Control Bills
A Beacon Hill committee has endorsed two bills that would clear the way for rent control to return to Massachusetts more than two and a half decades after voters narrowly banned the practice statewide.
The Eviction Moratorium Is Both Necessary and Just
We are proud to say this is a truly comprehensive bill – it provides protections for a range of interests, including renters, homeowners, landlords, small businesses and local nonprofits.
Rep.’s Objection Sidelines Eviction Bill
Legislators are expected to resume debate today on a halt to foreclosures and non-essential evictions for the duration of Massachusetts’ state of emergency, after one lawmaker objected to the proposed House-Senate deal Thursday.
House Passes Eviction, Foreclosure Moratorium
The House on Thursday afternoon passed a bill to put a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures during the coronavirus emergency, quickly advancing the bill to the Senate.
Eviction Moratorium Announced in Boston
The coronavirus outbreak has caused another tectonic shift in Boston, alongside the closure of the city’s schools and a new state mandate for restaurants to shift to takeout-only service: Several large landlords have suspended apartment evictions during the crisis.
