Breaking: Donate Now to Fight New Threats to Property Owners in 2025!
by Allison Drescher and Amir Shahsavari
Dear SPOA Members and Supporters:
Following our success in the previous legislative session, SPOA is at a crossroads and we need your support.
We begin another session at the Massachusetts State House, facing more bills hostile to property owners. Each session, these dangerous proposals invade further and further upon our property rights.
We all agree that there is an affordability problem. However, in trying to address it, some misguided legislators are endangering us and threatening our existing affordable housing stock with proposals curtailing our property rights, while making it harder for us to do our jobs as responsible property owners.
SPOA is a volunteer-based organization. Our board of directors, who create our content, are owners who give their valuable time to keep SPOA afloat as a landlord advocacy organization. It is vital to have financial support from everyone in our community to keep our important mission going.
As owners, we understand the current financial pressures faced by housing providers. Everything costs more — inflation has taken a great toll. Insurance premiums have shaken us, as we face increases from 15 percent to 40 percent — not to mention the fear of making claims should further coverage be denied or further skyrocket in cost.
Utility costs are also escalating significantly. However, as our legislators shrug their shoulders, utility providers have been tasked with funding the costly Mass Saves program through “delivery charges,” as this too is passed off to the consumer, as consumer outrage flares.
In the face of these challenges, SPOA has relentlessly advocated for property owners — and our efforts remain ever more critical since the assault on our rights escalated during the Covid pandemic.
We must have more support from fellow owners to further our efforts!
Therefore, we are asking you to make a donation to SPOA — one larger than the $100 annual dues. Please consider donating one of the following amounts:
$500
$800
$1,000
$2,000
$5,000
This is the only way we can improve upon the notable wins of the previous year, which proved that we are strong when we stick together. After all, where would we be today had we not resisted the extreme property tax increases proposed by Mayor Wu at the end of 2024?
Although the landscape may appear bleak, your contributions can change that landscape for the better. It is critical to not only continue, but enhance, your financial contributions so that all of our voices will be heard on Beacon Hill, as the radical activists redouble their efforts to pass devastating housing policies motivated by the politics of resentment!
This year, we will fight bills that will make it harder to screen potential tenants by limiting credit checks. Others will seek to regulate rents and make evictions even harder. And of course, we have plenty of new taxes, fees, and fines being proposed on landlords.
We don’t have a large budget, as we are running on a shoestring. We need to ensure that we have boots on the ground at the state house and that our content continues to reach the public.
Our future success depends on our ability to remain in the thick of the fight with our experienced lobbying team on the ground, helping us and our members attend countless meetings and hearings — communicating with our legislators to advance our cause.
As always, we have continued to update you about pending legislation through our regular email updates. In addition, we keep bringing you monthly newsletters and more episodes of our podcast, SPOA Housing Policy Series, in which we discuss important housing issues with a variety of panelists, including small property owners, attorneys, real estate experts and advocates, government officials, people running for office, and news media reporters. We also continue to give interviews and to have our own articles published in the media.
These efforts are challenging, and they should not be taken for granted. Clearly, our volunteers are dedicated. They provide quality work for free that would otherwise be expensive if outsourced to others. Moreover, our volunteers put in long hours away from their businesses and their families, fighting hard to protect the dignity of all our constituents, including people whom they have never even met. As they fight hard for you, they can’t succeed in their important work without your help and participation.
It’s time to increase our efforts and contributions since the previous year. Please donate today — and please bring new members with you!
Sincerely,
Allison Drescher
President, SPOA
Amir Shahsavari
Vice President, SPOA
P.S. Please remember to donate to SPOA today and to help us recruit more members. Please consider donating one of the following amounts:
$500
$800
$1,000
$2,000
$5,000
If you would like to volunteer, please contact Amir Shahsavari at askspoa@gmail.com to discuss further. Thank you again!
Also, if you donate $500 or more, you will be invited to a special in-person briefing about the 2025 legislative session. We plan to hold this event in Boston this spring and details will be released soon. This will be a good opportunity to meet in person and to coordinate our efforts further. Please donate now — our success depends on it!
by Allison Drescher and Amir Shahsavari
SPOA Releases Episode 14 of Housing Policy Series with "Broker Fees in the Balance"
by Amir Shahsavari
The Small Property Owners Association (SPOA) has released Episode 14 of SPOA Housing Policy Series, which is called "Broker Fees in the Balance."
The discussion centers on the latest push in government to exempt tenants from paying mandatory broker fees, in order to offset too many upfront costs when renting an apartment. However, what negative impact could this have on property owners, especially small business owners, who pay either all or part of these broker fees already at least 30 percent of the time? Is there a better way to solve this issue through cooperative cost sharing and flexible payment plans without government intervention?
Furthermore, how could this negatively impact the hard-working people in the brokerage industry, and why are brokers inexplicably absent in presenting solutions and advocating for themselves?
A panel of real estate experts weigh in on this and other threats to the real estate industry and the construction of much needed housing, including affordable housing, in Massachusetts.
We hear from Demetrios Salpoglou (CEO, Boston Pads), Joe DiGangi (Owner, D2 Development LLC), and Phillip Bakalchuk (Owner, COPA Real Estate Investments).
SPOA Vice President, Amir Shahsavari, moderates the discussion.
SPOA Housing Policy Series
Episode 14
Broker Fees in the Balance
by Amir Shahsavari
SPOA Published in Contrarian Boston. Free Subscription Trial for SPOA Members!
by Allen Hebert
We are pleased to announce that an article by SPOA Vice President, Amir Shahsavari, was published in the March 12 edition of Contrarian Boston. The piece covers Mayor Wu's renewed effort to pass her controversial tax shift proposal and the negative consequences this would have on housing providers, businesses, and taxpayers.
Contrarian Boston — 03.12.2025 — Guest opinion by SPOA’s Amir Shahsavari
Contrarian Boston is an independent local news service with a different take than what you'll find in the local and national press.
Contrarian Boston reports on issues the mainstream media ignores or downplays, such as the real impact on the real estate and the business community of various "progressive" laws and policies proposed by our local and state governments.
We strongly recommend that you subscribe to Contrarian Boston to support independent journalism and to receive balanced coverage of the housing situation in Massachusetts, among other stories that you can trust.
As a courtesy, the publication has agreed to give SPOA members a free trial.
We recommend that you read and subscribe to Contrarian Boston with enthusiasm! Take advantage of this offer today and let us know what you think.
by Allen Hebert
Legislative Update from Preti Strategies for April 2025
by Jim Eisenberg
Summary of SPOA-Supported Legislation
2025-2026 Legislative Session
Tenant Escrow Legislation
House, No. 1489, “An Act creating the tenant’s escrow accounts.” Filed by Rep. DeCoste. Referred to the Joint Committee on Housing.
This bill would create a grant program to provide tenants with down payment assistance funded through a voluntary, tax-deductible contribution by landlords consisting of a portion of the rent either for the property owner's tenant, or into a general rental assistance fund for other tenants that could be restricted by zip-code.
Grants to Municipalities to Fund Voluntary Right-of-First-Refusal Programs
House, No. 2294, “An Act relative to voluntary municipal right of first refusal.” Filed by Rep. Jones. Referred to the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government.
This bill creates a voluntary program that would allow municipalities to pay property owners for future rights to advance notice of any sale of their property. Property owners who engage in the program can receive financial incentives—$500 per qualified unit, up to a maximum of $10,000, plus reimbursement for document recording expenses, with total program payments capped at $5 million.
Anti-Squatter Legislation
House, No. 1802, “An Act addressing squatter’s rights.” Filed by Rep. Jones. Referred to the Joint Committee on the Judiciary.
This bill addresses an issue that is becoming more prevalent nationwide and protects the rights of property owners. The bill grants property owners or landlords the authority to demand the immediate eviction of individuals from a property if the property was not publicly accessible at the time of their entry, if they have been instructed to vacate, and if they do not possess a valid lease or written agreement, have overstayed their lease, or have deliberately violated its terms.
Eviction Procedure Restoration
House, No. 1490, “An Act relative to landlord’s right to information.” Filed by Rep. DeCoste. Referred to the Joint Committee on Housing.
This legislation would correct many of the so-called “temporary” changes, including but not limited to changes in eviction sealing laws, to Massachusetts eviction law that were put in place during the COVID era.
Allowing Landlords to File for RAFT Assistance
Senate, No. 957, “An Act relative to improve access to rental assistance programs.” Filed by Sen. Collins. Referred to the Joint Committee on Housing.
One of the biggest issues faced by rental property owners is that they rely on their tenants to apply and advocate for rental assistance payments. This bill would allow landlords to apply directly to the Commonwealth on their tenants’ behalf.
Rent Escrow Legislation
House, No.1883, “An Act to promote housing stability.” Filed by Rep. McMurtry.
House, No. 1664, “An Act relative to rent escrow.” Filed by DeCoste
House, No.1796, “An Act relative to rent escrow.” Filed by Jones
All referred to Joint Committee the on Judiciary
These bills, which SPOA has championed in past sessions which would require rent payments be held in escrow in the case of disputes before the courts.
Landlord’s Right-to-Counsel
Senate, No. 1077, “An Act maintaining parity in legal services for small property owners.” Filed by Sen. Durant.
The bill requires that if a landlord qualifies as a “qualified small business land owner” (QSBLO), under guidelines established by the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation, both the landlord and tenant must receive legal services in applicable disputes.
by Jim Eisenberg
Evicted Again: "Professional Tenants" Now Facing Criminal Charges
by Amir Shahsavari
The following is an update about professional tenants, Linda and Russell Callahan, who were evicted yet again after scamming rental property owners for the past 20 years by not paying their rent. These tenants are now facing charges in criminal court for fraud, forgery, and larceny before potentially facing a grand jury.
Investigative reporter Ryan Kath of NBC 10 News Boston continues his investigation of the Callahans, who have defrauded property owners out of more than $100,000. The link to his latest story is featured below.
In the second link, you will find Ryan's recent appearance on SPOA Housing Policy Series, where he discussed this case with us in Episode 10: Professional Tenants Exposed.
Please remember to make a donation at www.spoa.com/join to help us defend property rights while promoting reasonable housing policies.
by Amir Shahsavari