SPOA Interviews Gubernatorial Candidate Brian Shortsleeve on Housing, Transit, and Transparency
by Amir Shahsavari
The Small Property Owners Association (SPOA) is pleased to release "Brian Shortsleeve Gubernatorial Forum," which is Episode 17 of SPOA Housing Policy Series.
We speak with Brian Shortsleeve, who is running for Governor of Massachusetts. Mr. Shortsleeve is a marine and entrepreneur who served as Head of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) under former Governor Charlie Baker.
The conversation centers on Mr. Shortsleeve's views about rent control, tenant right of first refusal (also known as the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, or TOPA), the broker fee debate, eviction sealing, and transparency in government. We discuss the state's funding of an extremist group that directed hate speech against property owners and others using taxpayer money. We address the need for more housing supply, as well as increased competition, to reduce prices and alleviate a struggling economic environment. We further address the high cost of energy, public safety, high taxes on the struggling business sector, public transportation, and SPOA's plan to help tenants achieve homeownership, while rewarding rental property owners for their contributions within a private-public partnership.
Mr. Shortsleeve answers questions from SPOA members and our panel, which includes media personality Mike Urban, who hosts The Mike Urban Show, news reporter Scott Van Voorhis, who edits the independent newspaper Contrarian Boston, and SPOA President Allison Drescher.
SPOA Vice President, Amir Shahsavari, moderates the discussion.
As an organization, the Small Property Owners Association (SPOA) does not endorse political candidates. Therefore, this conversation is not an endorsement of Mr. Shortsleeve's candidacy by SPOA. However, SPOA extends an open invitation to all candidates to share their views about housing with us, whether they are running for governor or another office. We bring this information to you for educational purposes, but it is up to you, the voters, to decide the merits of the candidates' positions.
You can see the video in the link below.
by Amir Shahsavari
SPOA Rally Against Lease Renewal Restrictions and Broker Fee Law A Success Thanks to Member Engagement
by Amir Shahsavari and Allison Drescher
SPOA led a successful rally with a large turnout in front of the State House on Wednesday, July 23. Property owners and brokers, as well as others concerned about property rights and affordable housing, made their voices heard, as they protested against the new broker fee law and the proposal to limit lease renewals via H336.
Below, you will find media coverage of the rally in addition to some photos.
News Coverage of SPOA Protest of Bill H336 Outside Massachusetts State House in Boston July 23, 2025
“After doing this for 40 years, I am shocked that I have yet to hear of a meeting where people sit down to discuss how to bring housing prices down ... and you start with the small landlords who provide the majority of the affordable housing in the state.”
The voices of both property owners and brokers coalesced this week, drawing attention to this important issue in the realm of property rights. Your voice is essential as Beacon Hill legislators continue their assault on responsible small housing providers, taking jobs from small businesses and disrupting the housing process - in the attempt to score political points, while simultaneously making affordable housing harder to provide.
Please remember to contact your state representatives and state senators to oppose H336. Per our previous email, you can use the template and talking points below.
WRITE IN!
Please address your email to:
1. JointCommittee.ConsumerProtection&ProfessionalLicensure@malegislature.gov
2. Your state representative and senator. Your can look up their email addresses here: https://malegislature.gov/Search/FindMyLegislator
3. Please copy SPOA (askspoa@gmail.com) so we can reference our members' testimony to legislators.
Email Template
Subject: TESTIMONY – Bill H.336
Dear Representatives,
I am a Massachusetts ___(housing provider/licensed real estate agent/etc.)______writing to express serious concern about the proposed legislation concerning lease renewals being limited to 3 months before the lease ends.
I am against Bill H. 336.
[Insert your choice of talking points from the list provided below]
I urge the Legislature to engage both small and large landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, contractors and real estate professionals in order to understand and research the deleterious effects this bill would have on the entire apartment leasing and housing provider industries in Massachusetts. I am requesting that you immediately consult with housing professionals—including landlords, brokers, and property managers—before moving forward.
We all want a fair and fully functional housing system, but this bill in its current form will put numerous people out of work and essentially halt the real estate market in its tracks. The bill also appears unconstitutional in its very nature of applying too much control to multiple industries at once. A majority of people begin their search for housing much further in advance than three months before their move date. Allowing housing providers to properly manage their properties so that everyone wins must remain in the Commonwealth!
Sincerely,
[Your Full Name]
[Your City or Neighborhood]
[Optional: # of units you own or manage]
Talking Points
Disrupts Leasing Norms in Boston: The vast majority of leases in Boston start on September 1st, requiring a longer lead time for planning. Limiting lease signings to within 3 months would upend long-standing, predictable leasing cycles. Chaos and hurried practices would create a myriad of unintended problems across a wide swath of business and decades old housing practices.
Creates Volatility in the Rental Market: A compressed 3-month leasing window will force thousands of renters to search simultaneously, creating rental bidding wars, increased stress, higher prices, and inequity—particularly during peak demand times. Lawsuits would increase as hurried mistakes create opportunities for lawyers to go after housing providers.
Jeopardizes Jobs and Local Businesses: Professional leasing agents depend on a year-round leasing cycle to exist and pay taxes in MA. This bill would cause job losses, seasonal burnout, and a rise in unlicensed or underqualified agents, eroding industry standards. The bill would also force people to work an obscene amount of hours in a short period of time. Accidents and safety considerations have not been taken into account. Housing improvements would suffer and that would result in less work for contractors, maintenance worker and property managers.
Promotes Rental Inefficiencies & Risk: The proposal would increase the likelihood of "sight-unseen" leasing, leading to higher fraud risks and reduced tenant satisfaction. Online scams would increase once criminals understood the compressed chaos and desperation of last second renters.
Reduces Housing Access for Vulnerable Populations: Families, students, and international renters amongst others who rely on advanced planning would be at a severe disadvantage and possibly priced out or forced into suboptimal housing decisions.
Harms Property Operations and Quality: Landlords rely on staggered lease signings to budget time for repairs and maintenance. Condensing lease signings into 3 months will overwhelm staff, reduce the quality of apartment turnover, and lead to increased operational costs.
Increases Rent Prices: A compressed leasing season would strain contractors, increase labor and turnover costs, and ultimately drive up rents for tenants due to higher operating expenses.
Eliminates Planning Flexibility for All Parties: Renters, landlords, and real estate professionals benefit from advanced planning. The bill unnecessarily removes this flexibility, creating chaos where there was predictability.
by Amir Shahsavari and Allison Drescher
Professional Tenants Who Defrauded Property Owners and Taxpayers Are Finally Arrested
by Amir Shahsavari and Allen Hebert
Professional tenants, Linda and Russell Callahan, were finally arrested after a grand jury indicted them on over 50 criminal charges. This comes after the notorious couple cheated numerous property owners over 20 years by willfully not paying rent while committing fraud, forgery, and larceny. Even as they faced these charges in multiple court hearings, they still managed to victimize a Worcester property owner by squatting in his property as recently as June.
Even more outrageous is that taxpayers are providing rental assistance for these crooks, including Brian Coombs, and his wife, Nicole Inserra, who have victimized property owner, Leo Behaj of Reading.
As reported in our June 2025 newsletter, investigative NBC 10 News reporter Ryan Kath and his producer, Shira Stoll, received the regional Edward R. Murrow Award for their investigative reporting on professional tenants. You can find Ryan's most recent videos below, in addition to his and Shira's appearance on Episode 10 of SPOA Housing Policy Series, called "Professional Tenants Exposed."
If you are a property owner who has been victimized by professional tenants, please tell us your story by emailing us at askspoa@gmail.com.
by Amir Shahsavari and Allen Hebert
Rushed Leases, Job Losses, Higher Rents: The Inevitable Fallout of Bill H.336
by Demetrios Salpoglou
Chaos Theory Legislation: Proposed Bill H.336 would restrict lease renewals to just 90 days before lease end.
The potential consequences of this bill are included but not limited to: job losses, disrupted lease cycles, higher costs for all parties, reduced flexibility, increased lawsuits, unhappy tenants and property owners, rushed decisions, poorer quality housing, increases in online fraud, and fewer protections for landlords and tenants.
The article in the link below explains specifically why this proposal is a threat to nearly everyone in the housing provider community.
Rushed Leases, Job Losses, Higher Rents: The Inevitable Fallout of Bill H.336
by Demetrios Salpoglou