On Sept. 3, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell allowed a ballot question that would introduce statewide rent control to move one step closer to appearing on the 2026 ballot. The initiative now must receive signatures from 75,574 registered voters by Dec. 3, then approval from the state legislature by May 2026. Even if the legislature rejects it, the initiative can still appear on the ballot if it receives an additional 12,429 signatures. Rent control was banned in Massachusetts statewide in 1994 following the passage of a ballot initiative. A similar attempt to put rent control on the ballot failed last year after it did not receive the required number of signatures.

The proposed law would limit all residential rent increases in a 12-month period to 5% or the annual increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), whichever is lower. There are some units that will be exempt from rent control, including owner-occupied buildings with four units or fewer; short-term housing rented to tenants for no more than 14 days; and any units in the first 10 years of residential occupancy. The limit on rent increases will apply even if there is a change in tenants during the 12-month period. If this initiative continues to clear procedural hurdles, it will appear on the November 2026 ballot.

Earlier this year, Washington state passed EHB 1217, a residential rent control bill that limits annual rent increases to 10% plus the Consumer Price Index; requires landlords to give tenants 90 days of notice before increasing rent; and limits fees and security deposits. NAIOP Washington State opposed the measure. Rent control bills are counterproductive to the goal of building more housing, instead incentivizing apartment-hoarding and disincentivizing capital improvement investments.