Harvard University students are actively collecting signatures to bring an initiative back to the ballot in 2026: reinstating rent control in Massachusetts.
According to The Harvard Crimson, the initiative would link annual rent increases in residential units across the state to cost-of-living increases, with a 5% yearly cap. The measure would exempt owner-occupied buildings with four or fewer units, as well as new buildings for the first 10 years after construction.
Homes for All Massachusetts, a statewide coalition of 12 grassroots housing justice groups, is leading the effort. This coalition of community organizations collaborates with the Harvard Law School canvassing group, Project No One Leaves, a student-run advocacy organization dedicated to tenants’ rights…