Rent Control Supporters Turn In Ballot Signatures to Advance ‘Keep Massachusetts Home’ Initiative Toward November Ballot
BOSTON — Supporters of the proposed ballot initiative that would limit annual rent increases to no more than 5% gathered near the State House on Tuesday before turning in signatures to qualify the measure for the 2026 statewide ballot.
In this year’s largest grassroots ballot signature gathering campaign — and the only successful signature gathering campaign not to hire a paid professional signature gathering firm — supporters of the ‘Keep Massachusetts Home’ campaign collected more than 124,000 signatures from voters across the state, far more than the required 74,574.
“124,000 people — in every corner of the state — signed petitions to put rent stabilization on the ballot, so that we can ensure stable homes and strong communities across our Commonwealth,” said Shanique Rodriguez, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Voter Table and a Springfield resident. “Without stable, affordable housing, individuals struggle to secure jobs, maintain their health, and engage in community life. But today we get one step closer to change; one step closer to truly affordable housing for all.”
Hundreds of volunteers collected signatures for the ballot initiative from voters in 332 of the state’s 351 cities and towns — everywhere from large cities like Springfield and Lynn to smaller communities like Hawley (population 353) and Alford (population 486). Dozens of grassroots housing justice groups, labor unions, and community and faith-based organizations throughout the state contributed to the massive grassroots signature-gathering effort.
On Tuesday, supporters celebrated the statewide grassroots effort that made that milestone possible, and addressed the need for rent stabilization in communities across the state, before turning in signatures to the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office.
“I was recently almost evicted because of big rent increases; the first one was $300, the second one was $800, and the third one was $500 — all within four years,” said Patty Ford, a lifelong resident of Lynn who collected signatures as a volunteer with Lynn United for Change. “I got involved with this campaign because I don’t want anyone else to ever go through that. It’s very, very, hard — especially for older people like me.”
“I volunteered weekly collecting signatures to put rent control on the statewide ballot, and talked with many voters who are facing excessive and exorbitant rent hikes from corporate landlords,” said Bob O’Connor, a resident of Boston who collected signatures as a volunteer with City Life/Vida Urbana. “Many shared that they had already been displaced from their home recently or had to move in with family or roommates to afford rent, or had family members who were displaced. Rent control would help young families and single parents who need it most.”
“As responsible landlords, we want long-term tenants. We want to build and stabilize our communities,” said Antonio Ennis, a homeowner and landlord in Boston. “And we need rent control — yesterday. Every day that we wait, a family is being displaced.”
“In the South Coast, rent stabilization is urgently needed. Historically we’ve had some of the most affordable rents in the Commonwealth, but with the addition of the trains in both of our cities, we’ve heard of rents doubling or tripling,” said Tracy Albernaz, an organizer with United Interfaith Action in Fall River and New Bedford. “People have no other place to go. Rent stabilization is crucial so that people are not being kicked out of their homes - and out of Massachusetts.
“Everyone deserves a place to call home, a place with a warm bed, a place to make some food,” said Sandra Ramgeet, a resident of Boston who collected signatures as a volunteer with New England Community Project. “We went out there with all our hearts, and asked everyone, ‘please sign so that everyone can have a place to call home.” And 124,000 people did just that.”
The ballot initiative will be sent to the Legislature in January, and if legislators do not act on the measure by this spring, advocates must then collect 12,429 more signatures in May and June to place it on the November 2026 statewide ballot.
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.