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Statewide Rent Increase Limit (Rent Control) Initiative

Did not qualify

Massachusetts · November 2026 general election · Citizen initiative · Election day November 3, 2026
Topics: Housing

In plain language

This initiative would have capped annual rent increases for residential units across Massachusetts at the change in the Consumer Price Index or 5 percent, whichever was lower, using the rent in effect on January 31, 2026 as the base. The cap would have applied whether or not the tenant changed. Owner-occupied buildings with fewer than five units, units first occupied within the previous 10 years, short-term lodging, housing whose rent is already regulated by a public authority, and facilities operated solely for educational, religious or nonprofit purposes would have been exempt. On June 23, 2026 the Supreme Judicial Court barred the question from the ballot.

Fiscal impact

No official fiscal note has been issued for this measure yet.

When the state publishes a fiscal analysis, it will appear here and be listed in the sources below.

What supporters and opponents say

These are summaries of arguments made by the named organizations, drawn from the sources listed below. They are their claims, not this site's, and this site takes no position on the measure.

What supporters say

  • Homes for All Massachusetts and Keep Massachusetts Home, the coalitions that led the campaign, argued that a statewide cap would stabilize communities and protect tenants from steep rent increases.
  • Noemi Ramos, executive director of the New England Community Project, said organizers had held tens of thousands of conversations with voters to counter what she described as real estate industry messaging.
  • Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said she considered the measure imperfect but would support it, citing housing affordability; the Massachusetts Teachers Association and several SEIU locals also backed it.

Attributed to Homes for All Massachusetts, Keep Massachusetts Home.

What opponents say

  • Governor Maura Healey (D) opposed the measure, saying studies indicate rent control effectively halts housing production.
  • Housing for Massachusetts, the opposition campaign, called it the most extreme rent control proposal in the country; a group of 12 mayors, including Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty, opposed it on the grounds it would slow housing production and reduce municipal tax bases.
  • The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation said passage would worsen the housing shortage and degrade existing housing stock.
  • The Supreme Judicial Court disallowed the question on June 23, 2026, holding that its exemption for facilities operated solely for religious purposes would require the government to decide whether a facility is religious, which the court found incompatible with the Massachusetts Constitution.

Attributed to Housing for Massachusetts, Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation.

Official ballot language

The certified ballot text is not yet available for this measure. Once the state certifies it, the verbatim wording will appear here.

Sources

Everything on this page traces to these sources. Follow them to read the original documents.

Last updated . How this page is sourced and corrected is described in the correction policy.