Why The Mass. Supreme Court Blocked Rent Control Question

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled on Tuesday that the rent control question will not appear on the ballot come Election Day this November. I rent my house to a tenant that is a sort of extended family member of mine - so this subject was of particular interest to me.

The reason the state's highest court ruled that this can't go before the voters is that the ballot question included an exemption for religious facilities (convents, rectories). Under Massachusetts constitution, questions relating to religion are not permitted on state ballots.

What is the rent control question?

It was all a movement in order to keep people in the state and preventing them from seeking less expensive options by moving elsewhere started by a group called "Homes for All Massachusetts".

The proposed ballot question would have capped annual rent increases at 5% per year. Owner-occupied buildings with four or fewer units would have been exempt. Newly constructed buildings would have also been exempt for the first 10 years. -cbsnews.com

According to Governor Maura Healy, who was against the notion of rent control, said just the fact that is was potentially coming back to life (voters had killed it previously in 1994) had already stopped production of housing in the Commonwealth".

On the "Real Estate Guys" show hosted by the guys from Bishop West Real Estate monthly on Live 95.9 - this was a topic that came up frequently. I reached out to Corey for a comment.

"Affordable housing is one of the biggest challenges facing Massachusetts, and I believe we need solutions that increase housing opportunities, not reduce them. Today's decision allows us to focus on meaningful strategies like expanding housing production, encouraging responsible development, and addressing the root causes of our housing shortage." -Corey Bishop from Bishop West Real Estate

The rent debate will likely remain ongoing - just not on the ballot this November.