September 19, 2025 |Housing, Lynn United for Change, News, Rent

Rally in Lynn launches rent control signature collection efforts as statewide ‘Keep Massachusetts Home’ ballot campaign kicks off

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Press release and photos courtesy of Lynn United for Change:

2026 rent stabilization ballot initiative would limit annual rent increases in Massachusetts to the cost of living, with a cap at 5%.
Lynn area residents who would like to get involved can find more information at www.lynnunited.org

A large crowd of renters, homeowners, members of community groups, and elected officials rallied at Lynn’s Frederick Douglass Park on Saturday, September 13 to kick off the statewide campaign to stabilize rents in Massachusetts by limiting annual rent increases to no more than 5%.

Numerous launch events across the state took place on Saturday. The Lynn event included endorsements and statements in support from 1199 SEIU, Essex County Community Organization, Lynn United for Change, Mass Senior Action Council, Neighbor to Neighbor, New Lynn Coalition, SEIU Local 509, United Nations CDC of Lynn, State Representative Sean Reid, and Lynn City Councilors Fred Hogan, Brian LaPierre, and Natasha Megie-Maddrey.

The broad statewide coalition, working as the “Keep Massachusetts Home” campaign (www.keepmasshome.com), will now begin to collect the more than 74,574 signatures required to place the modern rent stabilization ballot initiative on the 2026 ballot. Lynn City Councilor Nicole McClain’s name appears on the official ballot petition as one of the initial ten voters to sign the proposed ballot question that was presented to the Attorney General’s office.

The ballot initiative, An Initiative Petition to Protect Tenants by Limiting Rent Increases, would limit annual rent increases in Massachusetts to the cost of living, with a cap at 5%. For an apartment that costs $2,000 per month, that means an annual increase in monthly rent of no more than $100/month.

The limit on rent increases would continue to apply when new renters move in, meaning rent could not be drastically increased between tenants. The ballot initiative would support small landlords, not big corporations, by exempting owner-occupied buildings with four or fewer units. And it would encourage housing production and economic growth by applying rent limits to new construction only after a building’s first 10 years.

Last week, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell certified that the proposed rent stabilization ballot initiative meets the constitutional requirements to appear on the ballot, despite a failed challenge by several corporate real estate groups and right-wing legal organizations.

“Whether we own or rent, everyone in Massachusetts should be able to afford a place to call home. But right now, there is no limit to how much rents can increase each year. Corporate real estate investors are taking advantage of this gap in our laws to buy up homes and double rents overnight, threatening the basic fabric of our neighborhoods,” said Noemi “Mimi” Ramos, Executive Director of New England Community Project and Chair of the Keep Massachusetts Home campaign. “Massachusetts needs basic protections against excessive rent hikes to keep people in their homes, support working families, and stabilize our communities. By coming together to win modern rent stabilization, we can keep Massachusetts home for all of us.”