Cities and towns are facing a significant untold threat to their bottom lines and the vital public services they provide if the proposed rent control ballot question is approved by voters this fall.
To understand the full extent of this fiscal tsunami, GBREB partnered with the Center for State Policy Analysis at Tufts University on a comprehensive model that maps the state and local impact of rent control. Key takeaways included the following:
- Almost immediately, the 2026 rent control ballot question would upend the real estate market, shrinking the residential property tax base by 6-9 percent in municipalities all across the Commonwealth;
- Losses would mount over time. After a decade, property values would decrease by nearly 14 percent — costing home- and property-owners roughly $300 billion;
- Faced with fast-eroding tax bases, cities and towns will have to choose between deep cuts to services or tax hikes of at least 10 percent to compensate for the losses; and
- The effects of rent control would be permanent, amounting to a sustained loss of investment for homeowners and a durably shrunken tax base for cities and towns.
This study analyzed the impact of the 2026 rent control ballot question on every city and town in the Commonwealth, and included fact sheets by county. For more information on this study, visit this link.