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Massachusetts May Lose $1 Billion in Revenue as Wealthy Residents and Others Leave

by Amir Shahsavari

Recent news articles reveal that high taxes, in addition to high healthcare and housing costs, will likely push wealthy residents to leave Massachusetts for other states, as the Commonwealth stands to lose $1 billion in tax revenue annually by 2030. However, we have heard from working class small business owners who also wish to leave for the same reasons. Included among them are small rental property owners. Some people on the radical fringes may react to this news with misguided satisfaction - as they project a "don't let the door hit you on the way out" attitude. But what they have yet to learn is that many more doors leading to affordable housing and economic opportunity will close on them as well – and with blunt force – when the business community leaves Massachusetts behind. Thus, we are left to wonder whether our state can change direction in time. 

This highlights the importance of contacting your state representatives and senators to voice your concerns about the proposed transfer tax, in addition to proposed tenant credit check restrictions and other harmful policy proposals, if you have not done so already. The links to our recent petitions are contained within this paragraph. 

We must continue our push to build more housing, along with different types of housing, on a massive scale to increase supply, in order to bring costs down for both owners and renters - while avoiding rent control and other abusive practices amounting to government overreach that have failed in the past.  

For more detailed information, you can read the Bloomberg article by Sri Taylor and the Boston Magazine article by Jon Keller, both of which are attached below. 



Massachusetts Risks $1 Billion in Lost Tax Revenue as Rich Flee

Also, please remember to support the Small Property Owners Association (SPOA) by donating at www.spoa.com/join. We must protect our tenants, our properties, and our property rights, as we call for reasonable policies that help all stakeholders in housing. 

 

by Amir Shahsavari

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Legislative Update from Preti Strategies for June 2024

by Jim Eisenberg

As of the writing of this update, there are many items teed up for action that are of interest to SPOA, but there are no definite timelines on any so far. The biggest of these legislative items is Governor Healey's Housing Bond Bill, which besides authorizing $4.1 billion of capital bond authorizations for a five-year funding plan for affordable housing production, also contains the governor’s transfer tax proposal. 

When the bill came before the Joint Committee on Housing, SPOA testified against this proposal because of the burden it would place on small property owners looking to sell their properties. Although less Draconian than a separate proposal present in separate pending legislation, the bond bill also contains a provision regarding record sealing for tenant applicants. We continue to work at the Massachusetts State House to defeat these provisions when the bill comes up for debate.

Blocking credit checks is also something that is being considered by the legislature and one which we are talking to legislators about—specifically what a disaster it would be for affordable rental housing providers. Rather than making it harder for landlords to provide desperately needed housing, SPOA is suggesting positive measures, such as mandating that disputed rents be placed in escrow until a matter is decided by the courts, thereby allowing landlords to recoup their rents if they prevail.

With only two months remaining for the Massachusetts House and Senate to take up controversial items such as the bond bill, time is running short. During this period, it is vital that SPOA members continue to advocate to their own state representatives and state senators against provisions in the housing bond bill that harm landlords, and instead focus on production of affordable housing and incentivizing more people to enter the rental housing provider sector.

 

by Jim Eisenberg

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SPOA Partners with VLP's Landlord Advocacy Project

by Amir Shahsavari

In an effort to help low-income rental property owners, SPOA has formed a partnership with the Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP) in their landlord advocacy initiative. While SPOA is a big tent organization that supports a broad variety of small property owners, VLP focuses exclusively on the needs of a smaller subset of those owners who are both low-income and owner-occupants of 2 to 3 family homes.

We are pleased to work with Ms. Donna Cohen, who leads efforts to assist owners through the VLP. Donna is known as a game changer who operates with discretion, perseverance, and integrity. Forty years ago, she started her law career as a litigation attorney with Gilman, McLaughlin and Hanrahan LLP. She focused on general civil litigation and landlord-tenant law representing large landlords. Donna recently returned to her roots in the landlord-tenant practice when she became a consulting attorney for the VLP through a grant under the Covid Eviction Legal Help Project with the responsibility to create, implement, and supervise the roll-out of a new program directed specifically toward providing access to legal, financial, and educational resources for low-income eligible owner-occupied landlords of 2 to 3 family homes. 

Devoted to issues facing women today, Donna is a leading lawyer and advocate for women in all aspects of business, sport, and entertainment, especially those who are breaking gender barriers. Donna advises, organizes, moderates, and provides talent for special events involving women and baseball for Major and Minor League baseball clubs. She speaks internationally on gender, sport, and society and is a special advisor to Baseball For All. In 2018, Donna became managing director of the inaugural World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Women’s Baseball World Cup Trophy Tour, for which she was awarded the WBSC flag.

Donna supports and is an advisor to numerous charitable organizations and sits on the boards of several nonprofit and educational organizations, including the University of Massachusetts Sport Leadership Advisory Board and the World Baseball Softball Confederation Diversity and Inclusivity Commission. Furthermore, she is a Trustee of the National Women’s Soccer League Players Association Emergency and Charitable Trust Fund.

Her skill set enables diverse stakeholders to work together to envision, manage, and ultimately accomplish their goals.

 

by Amir Shahsavari

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