Just-cause eviction in Boston is rent control

Certain Boston City Councilors want to impose rent control in the disguise of just-cause eviction. It's a rent freeze combined with eviction control. Rents are frozen and tenants cannot be evicted except for seriously violating the terms of a lease or tenancy agreement. This rent control would apply to tenants living in foreclosed properties. Just-cause eviction IS rent control. A rent freeze has no allowance for a rent increase based on improvements to the property. It's the worst possible form of rent control.

The distinctive characteristic of this just-cause eviction is that it would apply only to tenants whose landlords are banks and other "foreclosing owners" who owned the mortgage and now own the property. Once these owners sell, the just-cause eviction would no longer apply. So the length of time this just-cause eviction (and rent freeze) would apply would seem to be short. But in fact, this rent control and eviction control make the property LESS valuable and LESS desirable to buy, so it LENGTHENS the time the property is likely to stay in the hands of a foreclosing owner. It worsens the foreclosure crisis. Property needs to pass to a new private owner as fast as possible. The new owner will then take care of the property, fix it up, and get it fully occupied and pulling in the rental income needed to maintain and improve the property.

The real concern is that this rent control and eviction control could be expanded in the future to other groups of tenants perceived to be in danger of displacement. And so a system of rent control could grow and grow as more groups are added. We already have de facto rent control just recently imposed on owners of large apartments who have been renting to large numbers of students. The student occupancy limit now allows a maximum of four full-time undergraduate students per apartment, which is effectively rent control. Less money can be earned by the owner when the number of occupants is restricted.

Now we have rent control and eviction control being proposed for foreclosed tenants. What is the next step towards full-scale rent control? A rent freeze for the elderly and disabled? A rent freeze for families threatened by displacement or gentrification? If these were allowed, we would be far along the road towards full-scale rent control. That's why it is important to oppose "just-cause eviction" and any kind of rent control, even in a limited form.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION NOW: Property owners need to contact all the Boston City Councilors and ask them to vote NO on "just-cause eviction" and any kind of rent control. The main phone number for the City Council is 617-635-3040. Ask to be transferred to your district councilor and to the undecided at-large city councilors: Flaherty, Murphy, and Connolly. You can find email addresses for the councilors on the city website: www.cityofboston.gov.