Some small property owners are warning that a rent control ballot measure would put them underwater if it is approved.
At the same time, communities like Somerville are “desperate” for housing solutions, Sen. Pat Jehlen told a panel of landlords on Thursday.
The juxtaposition represents the crux of the debate on an initiative petition that could reach voters Nov. 3 that would cap annual rent increases statewide at 5% or the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower. Rent control bills have failed to gain favor in the decades since a 1994 voter law banned rent control in the state…