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SPOA Releases Episode 12 of Housing Policy Series with "Confronting Eviction Delay Tactics"

by Amir Shahsavari

The Small Property Owners Association (SPOA) has released Episode 12 of SPOA Housing Policy Series, which is called "Confronting Eviction Delay Tactics."

At a time when different groups are demanding equal rights and protection from predatory behavior, there is one group that has been forgotten in the conversation — the rental property owner. This couldn't be more prevalent in Massachusetts of all places. 

The conversation centers on Ms. Aletta Horton, a generous entrepreneur and small property owner who was forced to turn to eviction as a last resort when her tenants willfully stopped paying the agreed upon rent. Aletta was then forced to confront a series of false accusations made by her tenants to delay the eviction proceedings — and to possibly force Aletta into foreclosure. 

Attorney Jordana Greenman will describe how the legal system failed to protect Aletta in a timely manner — and how this threatens rental housing providers across Massachusetts.

How can the so-called "landlord" combat the stereotype of being greedy in rushing towards eviction, when the majority of owners who are patient and generous, like Aletta, become the easiest prey the longer they wait to regain possession of their properties?

Small business owners already provide the majority of rental housing in our Commonwealth. In order to create balance in our system, is it possible to save this endangered group before it goes extinct?

SPOA Vice President, Amir Shahsavari, moderates the discussion. 

SPOA Housing Policy Series
Episode 12
Confronting Eviction Delay Tactics

 

by Amir Shahsavari

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The Media Covers SPOA's Opposition to Boston Tax Shift Plan

by Amir Shahsavari and Allison Drescher

The press recently covered SPOA's state house testimony against the Boston tax shift proposal, H.5099, on November 20, 2024. After the bill hit a couple of hurdles in the House of Representatives, where it eventually passed, it landed in the Senate, where consideration of the bill was tabled until Thursday, December 5. The media covered SPOA's response to this development as well. SPOA's position was noted in State House News Service, Boston Herald, The Boston Globe, WGBH, and Banker & Tradesman, among other outlets. 

SPOA remains deeply concerned about the effect this bill would have on small businesses in Boston and throughout Massachusetts, while eroding a key provision of Proposition 2 ½, which protects all of us from over-taxation. 

Instead of trimming her budget for efficiency, Mayor Wu wants to impose a tax increase on Boston property owners when they can least afford it — especially owners in the commercial sector who are already struggling with empty buildings. 

By exempting the tax safeguards established under Proposition 2 ½, other communities outside of Boston will likely rush to the legislature to ask for the same exemption. How soon will it be before Cambridge, Somerville, and other cities and towns demand the same deal? This poses a major threat to all property owners in our state, whether they own property in Boston or other parts of Massachusetts. 

There is still time to make your voices heard, if you have not done so already. You can contact your state senators to express your concerns by using the following link:

https://malegislature.gov/Search/FindMyLegislator

For coverage of SPOA's testimony at the Massachusetts State House, you can refer to the link below from State House News Service.

Boston Tax Bill Hits Snag In Massachusetts House

For coverage of SPOA's response after the bill made its way to the Senate, you can refer to the links below from Boston Herald, The Boston Globe, and NBC Boston.

After delay, Boston Mayor Wu’s tax shift plan clears the House, advances to Senate

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SPOA Represents Small Property Owners at Section 8 Meeting with HUD and NAA

by Amir Shahsavari 

SPOA was invited to attend a meeting in Boston with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on November 20, 2024 to provide feedback from small property owners about the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP). The representatives from HUD, based in Washington DC, were joined by representatives from the National Apartment Association (NAA) and local groups representing property owners at the offices of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board (GBREB). This meeting was part of a "road show" in which HUD and NAA representatives visit different jurisdictions throughout the United States to solicit housing provider experiences with Section 8. 

SPOA Vice President, Amir Shahsavari, presented the following feedback obtained from small property owners:

  • Inspections are frequently delayed and thereby delay new tenants accessing their homes, leading to lost income for property owners.

  • A new trend is that when Section 8 tenants don't pay rent (for whatever reasons), the housing authorities have also stopped paying rent. The whole premise for accommodating Section 8 tenants is the implicit guarantee that the state/housing authorities pay rent. If that is no longer the case, then this eliminates any incentive for property owners to rent to Section 8 tenants.

  • Tenants tend to ask for inspectors when issues are minimal, rather than reporting these issues to property owners directly. Meanwhile,  when their rent payments stop and even when swift remedies are made, inspection schedules take way too long. Could there be a way for property owners to self-report remedies? 

  • State/Housing pays security deposits for tenants, but when tenants move these security deposits are refunded to tenants directly. This is essentially free money for tenants and promotes the incentive to move frequently, instead of staying in their homes. This creates a big disincentive to property owners to rent to Section 8 tenants if they have to find new tenants every year.

  • Section 8 tenants increasingly fail to comply with letting property owners access their houses to fix issues that they themselves reported to inspectors. This is creating a big problem for property owners.

  • It is a lengthy 9-12 month process, on average, to evict non-complying Section 8 tenants, which is unfair to deserving tenants who really need housing and presents a catastrophic situation for small property owners who can't collect rent and may thus face foreclosure.

The HUD and NAA representatives stated that they would consider creating a new position of property owner liaison to assure that property owners have stronger representation in the process, especially when they encounter challenges. Also mentioned was the need for tenant education to encourage renters to report problems directly to the property owner first, rather than going behind the owner to report to the inspector directly. There was another recommendation to provide digital methods for obtaining rent payments efficiently. 

HUD and NAA plan to be in touch in the future about the other feedback provided to them. You will find those updates in future SPOA newsletters. In the interim, you can feel free to email us more feedback about your experience with Section 8 at askspoa@gmail.com. 

 

by Amir Shahsavari

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Why Broker Fees Should Not Be Forced Upon Rental Property Owners

by Demetrios Salpoglou

I was pleased to be featured in an NBC News Channel 10 story by Kirsten Glavin discussing the broker fee debate in Boston. 

Data from Boston Pads shows that 70% of rental property providers currently do not cover broker fee costs. While the New York City Council’s recent decision to ban broker fees for tenants may seem like a solution, we need to be cautious about unintended consequences. There are massive differences in commission structures and costs in New York compared to Boston. It’s simply not the same.

More importantly, shifting the financial burden to housing providers doesn’t address the root of the issue: a severe lack of housing supply. In fact, this policy risks pushing rents even higher as landlords—especially smaller ones—are forced to cover additional costs in an already expensive market. Without enough housing to meet demand, renters could face fewer choices and steeper rent increases.

The key to lowering rents and alleviating financial pressures on renters isn’t redistributing broker fees—it’s focusing on zoning reform and creating policies that incentivize the creation of additional housing supply.

I urge policymakers and stakeholders to look beyond quick fixes and tackle the underlying challenges with long-term, sustainable solutions.

Boston Pads on NBC News: Should Boston landlords pay broker fees?

 

by Demetrios Salpoglou

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