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Healey opposes proposed rent control ballot question
A proposal to enact statewide rent control could be in front of voters next year. Gov. Maura Healey is concerned that this could slow housing production.
Gov. Maura Healey said Tuesday that she would not vote for a proposal that would enact rent control across Massachusetts.
In recent months, volunteers gathered tens of thousands of signatures in an effort to place a ballot question before voters next year. That question would give voters the power to establish rent control, which was banned statewide in 1994.
If enacted, the proposal would tie annual rent increases to inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index, with a hard annual cap of 5% statewide. Owner-occupied buildings with four or fewer units and newly constructed buildings during their first 10 years of existence would be exempt. The exemptions are meant to protect small landlords and maintain the flow of new housing construction.
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Supporters of the proposal say that they have seen overwhelming support among residents, and are on track to successfully place the ballot question before voters. Secretary of State William Galvin’s office recently certified that the initiative received enough signatures to advance toward the ballot.
Healey was asked about the proposal during an appearance on GBH’s “Boston Public Radio” Tuesday.
“Rent control is not going to be the solution to how we get through this crisis. We need to build more homes,” she said.
Healey spoke about prioritizing housing construction during her first term. She signed a major housing bill into law last year, authorizing more than $5 billion for housing construction. State officials say that, since Healey took office, more than 90,000 new housing units have been completed or are set to enter development.
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The governor said that she opposes rent control at the moment because studies show that those policies slow down housing production.
“Investors in housing have already pulled out of Massachusetts because they’re concerned about rent control. I don’t want to see housing production stopped,” Healey said.
Supporters of the proposal are adamant that rent control does not discourage new construction, and say that it can coexist with policies meant to increase production.
Spokespeople for Keep Massachusetts Home, the coalition spearheading the ballot initiative, did not return a request for comment Tuesday.
Healey, who is running for reelection next year, appears to be on the opposite side of public opinion regarding rent control at the moment. About 67% percent of Massachusetts voters support the proposal, according to a Boston Globe/Suffolk University poll conducted last month.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who has been a vocal advocate for rent control and pushed a citywide proposal in 2023, showed skepticism about the current proposal when asked about it during her appearance on GBH last month.
Wu has yet to take an official position on the measure, but said she was disappointed to see advocates pursue a blanket statewide cap on rent increases. The mayor said she would like to see the statewide ban repealed, and that municipalities should be able to decide for themselves whether or not to enact rent control.
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The average asking rent in Boston dipped slightly recently for the first time since 2021, but is still over $3,000 per month.
The current proposal now heads to Beacon Hill, where lawmakers can choose to simply pass it themselves. In the event that they do not, advocates will have to gather some 12,000 more signatures before a final deadline next summer.
“I also understand what’s driving rent control,” Healey said. “I want to work together to do something that’s sensible, that creates more homes, builds more homes, and lowers costs for people.”
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