Make Our Voices Heard by Supporting SPOA Today!
On January 11, 2022, SPOA testified at a hearing before the Joint Committee on Housing for the State of Massachusetts. Our testimony was in response to a bill that would allow local communities to reinstate rent control. The hearing was over seven hours long! There were 136 parties testifying. 133 of them in favor of implementing Rent Control. ONLY 3 parties, including SPOA, testified against this Rent Control initiative.
We got our point across that day—that reinstating rent control would be a disaster for small property owners. But the level of support building for rent control, right of first refusal, transfer taxes, and other destructive policies needs to serve as a wakeup call to every responsible landlord across Massachusetts.
If there was ever a time that property owners needed to be represented, it is now! SPOA has been actively engaged in the legislative process. We have testified at hearings and met individually with legislators, including the House and Senate leadership. We have also started to build a strong network of grass roots activists to assist us in ensuring that legislators hear the other side of the story.
We need your support in order to continue this important work!
House and Senate Bills (H1378, H1429, H1440, H4057, H4208, H4229 and S866, S886, S889 and S894) fall broadly into three categories: Those that seek to overturn the 1994 ballot initiative prohibiting rent control, those that seek to hide vital information from property owners when they are interviewing potential renters, and a bill that would authorize the City of Somerville to create a right-to-purchase requirement.
Why are rental property owners being asked to bear an outsized portion of the burden when it comes to solving the affordable housing crisis? Tenant advocates are lobbying legislators that WE, as housing providers, should endure punitive legislative measures as a resolution to this crisis.
What can you do?
1. Donate to SPOA to support the important work we are doing.
2. Contact your legislators to lobby them on behalf of housing providers and our rights. If you do not know who your elected officials are, you may find them by following this link: https://malegislature.gov/search/findmylegislator
Recently, a fellow landlord met with one of the major proponents for progressive, anti-landlord legislation on the Housing Committee. During this meeting, she admitted that she NEVER hears from housing providers, but exclusively from tenant advocates.
We are not underrepresented—but unrepresented almost entirely.
SPOA has hired lobbyists Richard Tisei and Jim Eisenberg of Preti Strategies to advocate for housing providers at the State House. This has associated costs, and we ask you as professionals in our industry, which is at stake, to help us bear these expenditures so we can continue lobbying for legislative change.
SPOA has recently relocated from Cambridge to Boston. We are launching a new website – please look for it at www.SPOA.com. We are seeking to hire an Executive Director. Litigation measures are getting launched in various court systems and SPOA is getting asked to participate.
SPOA cannot be effective without adequate funding. Could you support our efforts by contributing, $50, $100, $250 or even $1,000? Any assistance you could provide would be greatly appreciated! Please consider joining SPOA and contributing to our efforts today. We need your help advocating for the rental housing industry on behalf of our members!
Yours Sincerely,
Allison Drescher Amir Shahsavari
President Vice President
SPOA SPOA
P.S. The next few months will be critical for small property owners as the legislative session ramps up. It’s all hands on deck at SPOA. PLEASE HELP OUR EFFORTS BY SENDING A CONTRIBUTION TODAY!
SPOA is also looking for lead sponsors to assist us as we grow. If you are interested in this opportunity, please call 617‑354‑5533 or email askspoa@gmail.com.
