The Rent Study Committee voted to recommend a home rule petition on rent stabilization to the City Council. The draft sets a 5% annual cap and, under option E2, lets owners set a new starting rent when a tenancy ends.
Rent Study Committee reviewed 84 survey responses and debated vacancy rules without voting. The survey, open July 15 to Aug. 14, drew 39 tenants, 29 homeowners and 20 landlords, with some overlap; among respondents naming a cap, the median was about 5 percent.
Easthampton's Rent Study Committee floated a placeholder rent cap for its home rule petition. The committee reached general consensus on a 12-month look-back period and reaffirmed an exemption for buildings of two or fewer units with one unit owner-occupied.
Rent Study Committee debated exemptions and caps for a draft rent stabilization petition without taking a vote. A member said he will assemble a working draft for a motion at a later meeting, with a vote targeted for the first September meeting.
The Rent Study Committee added a July 27 meeting to speed work on a rent stabilization petition.
The Rent Study Committee heard a rent-stability incentive proposal Tuesday, and a member suggested tabling it. Presenter Dan Gilbert described a registry with a $40 landlord license and $80 per-unit permit, which he estimated would raise about $280,000 a year from roughly 3,000 units.
Easthampton's Rent Study Committee heard from landlords and developers on a possible local rent stabilization petition. Chair Kiam Jamrog-McQuaid presented background, noting 40 percent of renter households are cost burdened and median rent rose almost 30 percent from 2018 to 2024.
Easthampton's Rent Study Committee heard tenants press for a rent cap, a landlord registry and an anti-vacancy measure. At a listening session with the Easthampton Tenants Union, Lori Connor said her rent rose $350 a month, or 47 percent, after 14 years as a tenant at will.
Easthampton's Rent Study Committee scheduled listening sessions for tenants and landlords. Tenants will meet Thursday, May 14, at 6 p.m. in council chambers, with the tenants union speaking for about 50 to 60 minutes before 15 to 20 minutes of general comment.
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