BOSTON–The Small Property Owners Association (SPOA) is sounding the alarm after a statewide rent control ballot initiative reached a key signature milestone, cautioning that the proposal could deepen the housing challenges facing Massachusetts.
According to SPOA, the current measure is “more extreme” than previous versions that failed to gain traction and would ultimately worsen affordability. The organization argues that the only sustainable path to reducing rents for tenants—and operating expenses for owners—is to increase the housing supply. Rent control, they say, moves the state in the opposite direction.
“Rent control is counterproductive,” SPOA said in a statement, asserting that limiting rent growth discourages new development and reduces investment in existing units. The group maintains that constraining supply will drive up costs for all parties involved.
While supporters of the measure have emphasized exemptions for the smallest landlords, SPOA contends that these carve-outs leave out “the vast majority of small business owners,” who they say would face rising expenses under stricter regulation. The group warns that additional financial pressure could lead to widespread disrepair of housing stock.
SPOA also points to what it describes as a national pattern of failure for rent control policy, arguing that communities that have adopted such measures have seen economic harm and weakened housing markets. “It’s time for tenant activists to acknowledge the actual science behind housing policy,” the statement reads, “instead of playing the politics of resentment to the detriment of all our communities.”
The organization further warns that Massachusetts is becoming increasingly inhospitable to property owners and small businesses—key contributors to the state’s tax base. With some owners leaving the state, SPOA cautions that policymakers on Beacon Hill should proceed carefully.
As the ballot measure advances, the debate over rent control is set to intensify, with both advocates and opponents preparing for a high-stakes policy fight that could reshape the state’s housing landscape.
