Thursday, March 10, 2016

Public hearing at Boston City Hall on Monday March 14 at 4:00 PM.

If you are a residential property owner in the City of Boston, it is critical to pay attention to a proposal under consideration by City Council (the “Just-Cause Eviction” proposal).  If passed, this proposal could dramatically affect rents and evictions and turn back the clock to the days of RENT CONTROL.  The proposal, if passed, would set caps on how much a landlord can increase rents (5%), and set stringent guidelines on whether or not tenants may be evicted.

The proposal affects 79% of all Boston rental property.  Only owner-occupied 1-to-4 unit buildings would be exempt. On Monday, March 14th, the last public hearing for the controversial “Just-Cause Eviction” ordinance will take place in Boston City Hall, before it finally goes to the council for voting.

The proposal would  limit the grounds by which landlords may evict tenants to very problematic standards. Among these reasons are: only being able to evict a tenant for non-payment of rent if tenant’s failure was habitual and without legal justification, and; only being able to evict if damage done by the tenant to the property is substantial and willful.  A landlord would have to justify rent increases to the City and endure an administrative procedure just to raise rents just like the old days. Failure to do so could lead to a $1,000 fine.

If you own a residential rental property in Boston, you need to attend!

If you would like further information, including a list of emails and telephone numbers to speak to Boston City Counselors, please contact our office.

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