Rent control could come to Massachusetts. Petition to put it on 2026 ballot moves forward.
From the Taunton Daily Gazette
A proposal for rent control in Massachusetts is moving closer to appearing on the 2026 ballot after garnering the amount of signatures needed to advance to the next step.
The “Keep Massachusetts Home” ballot campaign announced Nov. 18 that they had gathered over 124,000 signatures, much more than the 74,574 signatures required to be filed with state election officials. It's a major step towards going before voters next November.
“We believe that everyone in Massachusetts should be able to afford a place to call home,” said Rose Webster-Smith, Director of Springfield No One Leaves. “Everywhere we went, we heard about how high rents are displacing workers and seniors from our communities, forcing people to work multiple jobs just to pay the rent, and making it impossible for young families to save money to achieve the dream of owning a home. By coming together to win rent control on the ballot next year, we can keep Massachusetts home for all of us.”
Nov. 19 was the deadline to file the signatures with local election officials. Next, the petitions must be filed with the Secretary of State’s Office by the first Wednesday in December.
The proposal has now made it further than in years past. In 2024, a similar effort was derailed after failing to collect the required number of signatures by the first Wednesday in December. But this year, volunteers said they heard from people facing rent hikes and being pushed out of their neighborhoods.
“In the richest state in the most powerful country in the world, how is it possible that some people are forced to choose between paying rent or buying groceries?" said Sandra Ramgeet, a campaign volunteer from Boston.
However, local real estate organizations are fighting back, according to the Boston Real Estate Times, saying that the proposal would harm the economy and worsen the state's housing shortage.
What is the rent control proposal?
The measure, filed by a coalition of housing advocacy organizations called Homes for All Massachusetts, would enact rent control across the state for the first time since it was banned in 1994.
The proposal would limit the annual rent increase for residential units in Massachusetts to the increase of the Consumer Price Index, or 5%, whichever is lower. It would begin with rates as of Jan. 31, 2026.
The law would apply to all residential rental units except for owner-occupied buildings with less than four units and newly constructed buildings less than 10 years old.
It also wouldn’t apply to short term rentals (less than 14 days), units operated for educational, religious or non-profit purposes or units where the rent is regulated by a public authority.
What are the steps for rent control to become law?
Proposed laws and constitutional amendments must go through a long process to make it to the statewide election ballot in November 2026.
The rent control measure has already been approved by the Attorney General’s Office and gathered the required number of signatures, but it still has some steps to go.
Nov. 19 (14 days before the first Wednesday in December) was the deadline to gather 74,574 signatures and file them with local election officials for certification. Next, the signed petitions must be filed with the Secretary of State’s Office by Dec. 3 (the first Wednesday in December).
Once those signatures are verified, it will be sent to the state Legislature in January for its approval by the first Wednesday of May 2026.
If the Legislature does not enact the proposal, the proponents must then gather an additional 12,429 signatures from registered voters by July 1, 2026, to place the initiative on the November 2026 ballot.