It looks like Massachusetts voters will get to weigh in on rent control in 2026.

Supporters say they have more than enough signatures to put the issue on next year's ballot. Housing affordability is a concern for many families in the state, but not everyone is in favor of the plan.

The ballot initiative would limit rent increases statewide. Organizers say it will help fix the housing crisis and keep people from leaving Massachusetts, while opponents warn it will make it worse.

"We're in an affordability crisis"

"Homes for All Massachusetts" said their campaign garnered more than 124,000 signatures to submit by Wednesday's deadline. 

"We know that this means that voters, people across the state are hungry for solutions," the group's executive director Carolyn Chou said. "We're in an affordability crisis and we're in a displacement crisis across the state."

A July 2025 report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition shows renters need to make an average of $45.90 to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Massachusetts. 

"Everywhere we went, we heard about how high rents are displacing workers and seniors from our communities, forcing people to work multiple jobs just to pay the rent, and making it impossible for young families to save money to achieve the dream of owning a home," Rose Webster-Smith, director of Springfield No One Leaves, said in a statement. "By coming together to win rent control on the ballot next year, we can keep Massachusetts home for all of us."

The ballot initiative would limit rent increases statewide to a maximum of 5%, using rents in place as of Jan. 31, 2026 as the baseline. Owner-occupied buildings with four units or less would be exempt, and rent limits would apply to new construction after 10 years. 

Opposition to rent control

Multiple real estate groups oppose the proposal. Voters got rid of rent control in Massachusetts in 1994.

"This question creates the most restrictive rent control program in the entire United States and forces it on every city and town across the Commonwealth," the Greater Boston Real Estate Board, the Massachusetts Association of Realtors and NAIOP Massachusetts said in a joint statement. "It will unquestionably make our housing crisis worse and significantly reduce the supply of quality homes on the rental market."

Chris Lehman with the Small Property Owners Association says the policy would constrain new construction.

"We need to build a lot more homes in order for people to be able to live here affordably, and rent control really fights against that," he said. "It decreases the incentive to invest in real estate, and in doing so makes the supply crisis worse."

The signatures have to be certified by local election officials before they can be submitted to the secretary of the Commonwealth on Dec. 3. If the proposal continues to move forward, voters will have a chance to make their voices heard next November.