Overview
- Organizers with the Keep Massachusetts Home campaign say they gathered over 124,000 raw signatures, far exceeding the 74,574 needed for the first step.
- The proposal would cap most annual rent increases at the lower of the Consumer Price Index or 5%, using the rent in place on Jan. 31, 2026 as the baseline.
- Exemptions include owner-occupied buildings with four or fewer units and new construction until a building is at least 10 years old, and the policy would apply across all 351 cities and towns.
- Local election officials must certify signatures by Dec. 3 before the measure advances to the secretary of state and then the Legislature, with a possible follow-up drive for 12,429 additional signatures by July 1, 2026 if lawmakers do not act by May.
- Real estate trade groups vow a robust opposition campaign and raise legal concerns, while backers include tenant coalitions and labor groups; Boston Mayor Michelle Wu voiced reservations about a one-size-fits-all approach and signaled she is unlikely to campaign against it.