Keep MA Home Rent Control Campaign Launches First Ads, Highlighting Urgency of Capping Rents
BOSTON — The ‘Keep Massachusetts Home’ campaign backing the proposed ballot initiative that would limit annual rent increases to no more than 5% today launched its first set of ads aimed at general election voters: a series of three videos highlighting tenants who have faced excessive rent increases.
One 30-second ad features Annie Gordon, a senior from Mattapan and resident of the Fairlawn Estates in Mattapan, which recently fought back rent hikes as high as 50%. In the ad, Annie says “I had to go to work because my rent was going up every year. I was angry about it, but at the same time, I was scared and afraid that I was going to be evicted and wouldn’t have any place to go and end up homeless. These corporate landlords value profit more than people. The rent increases are tearing communities apart, pushing people out. I think this 5% rent cap will help families in Massachusetts.”
One 15-second ad features Noel Lozada, a human services provider from Danvers and member of SEIU Local 509. Since a management company purchased the Davers building that she lived in four years ago, her rent has doubled from $1750 to $3500, with no improvements to her unit. In the ad, Noel says “We need to pass this ballot measure because people are struggling as it is with this economy. And if rents continue to rise, people will be in the streets. It’s just that simple.”
And another 15-second ad features Laura Frost, a senior from Arlington. In 2019, a large real estate investment company purchased Laura’s Arlington home of more than 20 years and demanded huge increases from tenants — some up to 100%. In the ad, Laura says “A 5% rent control measure will stop extreme increases from developers before they can start. We need to do this now, because we’re already at a critical moment. We can’t wait.”
The ads are now running on digital channels, connected television, and social media platforms.
“This campaign is about the millions of people in Massachusetts who would benefit from stable rents. We’re excited to launch this ad campaign to tell their stories, and look forward to communicating with voters online and on the airwaves over the coming months,” said Noemi “Mimi” Ramos, Executive Director of New England Community Project and chair of the Keep Massachusetts Home ballot campaign. “Everyone in Massachusetts deserves a place to call home. But right now, corporate real estate investors are driving up housing costs to increase their profits, making it impossible for us to make ends meet. And they're already starting to spend millions on misleading ads to protect their right to double rents overnight.”
“Our ballot proposal will protect tenants from big corporate investors who unreasonably increase rents, while allowing local landlords to earn a reasonable profit and enabling new construction to address housing shortages,” she continued. “It's the immediate relief we need to stabilize our communities, protect essential workers, and keep rent costs reasonable and predictable so that renters can save and have a fair shot at the dream of owning a home.”
Background
The campaign for rent control is backed by a massive statewide movement of renters, homeowners, and neighbors. Last year, supporters of the ‘Keep Massachusetts Home’ campaign collected more than 124,000 signatures from voters across the state to qualify the measure for the November 2026 statewide ballot, far more than the required 74,574. The Keep Massachusetts Home campaign was the only successful signature-gathering campaign this cycle that did not hire a paid professional signature gathering firm to collect the signatures needed to qualify for the ballot. Advocates are now working to collect 12,429 more signatures in May and June, in the final step necessary to place the initiative on the November 2026 statewide ballot.
On the other hand, a few commercial real estate corporations and real estate industry lobbying groups are bankrolling an anti-rent control campaign that has pledged to spend as much as $30 million this year on an “ad blitz” to protect their ability to hike rents without any limits.
The ballot initiative, An Initiative Petition to Protect Tenants by Limiting Rent Increases, would limit annual rent increases in Massachusetts to the cost of living, with a cap at 5%. For an apartment that costs $2,000 per month, that means an annual increase in monthly rent of no more than $100/month.
The limit on rent increases would continue to apply when new renters move in, meaning rent could not be drastically increased between tenants. The ballot initiative would support small landlords, not big corporations, by exempting owner-occupied buildings with four or fewer units. And it would encourage housing production and economic growth by applying rent limits to new construction only after a building’s first 10 years.
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