Rent Control in Cambridge
Some Background on SPOA , the abolish rent control movement and the birth of the Cambridge Committee for Rent Control (CCRC)
by Nancy Hall


Once upon a time in 1994, a Cambridge group that called itself The Small Property Owners Association (SPOA) spearheaded a statewide campaign to eliminate rent control from the three cities in the state that still had it - Boston, Brookline, and Cambridge. The SPOA turned out to be a front for the Real Estate Industry, and not overly concerned with small property owners. The Real Estate Industry and SPOA, it turned out, had a goal, which was the elimination of any regulation of the housing market. Cambridge was of course an easy target. A flawed, overly rigid rent control system had gained notoriety for a condo conversion clause intended to curb speculation. This clause backfired when it turned out that a large section of condominium owners could not live in their own condos - once they had sublet them. Then there were the isolated cases of the "wealthy tenants" living in rent controlled apartments. Without income eligibility guidelines, there was nothing to prevent this, and a couple of well known Cambridge names were targeted because the apartments they lived in were subject to rent controls. This provided more fodder for the architects of the anti-rent control referendum, Question 9, and they were able to create slogans that would encourage voters in cities with no rent control to vote out rent control in Boston, Brookline and Cambridge.

The Real Estate Industry put millions of dollars into a statewide campaign to eliminate rent control. Armed with the strong Cambridge rent control as an example, they took their campaign across the state, with a well financed media blitz, complete with television ads depicting small landlords being victimized by wealthy tenants, condominium owners complaining that rent control did not let them live in their own condos, and the slogan, "Get Government Out. Wealthy communities where many large landlords lived were organized to vote out rent control in the only cities that were affected by it.

When the frenzy and the dust had settled, and the election results came in, Rent Control was defeated by a very narrow margin across the state, with the only three cities directly affected by the referendum - those with rent control - voting overwhelming to keep it. Landlords vowed to be fair and promised that the market would be kind. But the market proved otherwise, turning cruel and greedy. Rent gouging became rampant--and it was soon painfully clear that the market would not regulate itself, as whole communities were destroyed and thousands were driven from their homes.

In Cambridge the public schools began to empty, as families unable to pay the rapidly escalating rents ($1,500 to over $2,000 a month) began to flee the city. As the years went by rents and housing costs escalated statewide - and even the prestigious universities in Cambridge were reporting having trouble finding professors, because it was no longer affordable to live here.

Boston newspapers began to report regularly about how vital workers had been priced out of the city - police officers, nurses, and teachers unable to afford to live near their jobs. The number of working homeless families, pushed from city to city, from one motel to another-- made headlines.

In Cambridge, what used to be stable communities, were now filled with apartments occupied by many students crammed together - and newspapers reported statistics that single and un-related adults had replaced families. It got so bad that in 1999, faced with a market that showed no mercy or restraint, pressured by organized tenants, the Cambridge City Council declared a Housing Emergency. Tenant after tenant were being forced out of the city, often through so-called "silent" evictions, where, afraid to challenge the market rents, many just looked at their new rent increases and left without a fight. Others formed tenant associations and negotiated with their landlords to put a stop to the escalating rents, agreements that would eventually expire. But the declaration of a Housing emergency proved to be an empty gesture. The Market ruled - turning into a God-like untouchable institution. It became increasingly clear that the Real Estate Industry, one of the only industries providing essential human rights that is still not regulated, should bear a degree of responsibility for the desecration of one of the most essential human rights - a roof over one's head. A home. Shelter from the storm.

As I read these words it seems like I am re-creating a nightmare scenario from an unenlightened past, one we were all able to wake up from, as politicians and lawmakers opened their eyes and took action to change it. But no, this horror is real, yet as it continued unchecked, tenants and their supporters began working on a plan for a new form of rent control - different than the previous one - that would address the flaws and inequities of the old law.

Now it is 2003 and the people are no longer willing to endure the nightmare. A Coalition of tenants, homeowners, concerned landlords, and grassroots organizations got together and realized the necessity of taking the campaign directly to the people of Cambridge. They formed the Committee for Cambridge Rent Control (CCRC) and launched, on Jan 30th, at a large public forum, a petition campaign to put a new rent control proposal on the ballot in this November election. This new rent control law is so different from the old rent control law, that try as they might (and we know they will) opponents of rent regulation will be hard pressed to offer any credible opposition.

Following are some of the ways that this new rent control proposal differs significantly from the old Cambridge rent control law:

1. The law does not prevent owners from occupying their own condominiums as their primary residence.
2. To address the concerns of financial hardship for small property owners, the new rent control law contains a "hardship exemption" for small landlords who own buildings of six or less units, are subject to rent control, and are able to demonstrate extreme difficulties, especially due to financial or mortgage expenses.
3. To address the concerns that that too many tenants who don't need rent control live in controlled units, the new law would allow landlords to exempt from regulation otherwise controlled units in exchange for units designated for low or moderate income local residents.
4. To address the concerns that the rent control board will be paid for by the property taxes of property owners, the new law proposes it be paid for by a yearly surcharge paid by tenants.
5. Rental units built or completed after the February, 1999 declaration of a Housing Emergency by the city of Cambridge would NOT be subject to the rent control law.

In addition, all rental units in owner-occupied structures of less than four units would NOT be subject to rent control. For all those buildings subject to the new rent control law, this Act will allow owners a fair profit and operating income.

Is this nothing more than a Good Dream replacing the real nightmare? No it is not. The CCRC obtained more than the necessary number of signatures needed to get this proposal on the ballot. In November Cambridge voters will have the opportunity to pass the proposal, which will then require the Cambridge City Council to send it to the state legislature as a "Home Rule Petition".

A few weekends ago, I sat at a table in the Harvest Co-op in Central Square with others collecting signatures from the people shopping for their groceries. We were struck by the enthusiasm of those wanting to sign and help out in the campaign. However, there was a sad irony in the large amount of people who came up and told us that, though they had lived in Cambridge for a long time, they couldn't sign the petition because they were no longer registered Cambridge voters. Why? Because they had been forced out of Cambridge by the high rents.

The entire Ordinance and all other information, can be found on the Cambridge Committee for Rent Control website.
the CCRC phone # is 617-491-7272