Rent control rules in Somerville, MA — also known as rent stabilization or rent cap ordinances — limit annual rent increases and protect tenants from displacement.
Rent control is prohibited statewide under MGL c.40P. Somerville has advocated for and passed local measures, but none can be enforced without state action.
Massachusetts voters approved Chapter 40P (the so-called Rent Control Prohibition Act) in 1994, eliminating rent control statewide. Under MGL c.40P, no city or town may enact or enforce any law that regulates the amount of rent charged for residential property. Somerville has been one of the most vocal advocates for repealing this ban and has passed local home-rule petitions and council resolutions seeking authority to enact rent stabilization, most recently supporting state-level rent stabilization bills, but these require the Massachusetts Legislature and Governor to act before they take effect. As of this writing, Somerville landlords may set rents at market rate and raise them with proper notice (30 days minimum for tenants at will under MGL c.186 s.12). Somerville does enforce strong anti-retaliation, habitability (105 CMR 410), and security deposit (MGL c.186 s.15B) protections.
Contact your local code enforcement office for specific penalty information.
Somerville, MA
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Somerville, MA
Somerville limits construction noise to daytime and early-evening weekday hours with shorter Saturday windows and a full Sunday and holiday prohibition, refl...
Somerville, MA
Overnight street parking in Somerville requires a resident permit citywide. Snow emergencies trigger odd-even or posted-side bans.
Somerville, MA
Commercial vehicles over 2.5 tons cannot park overnight on Somerville residential streets. Loading zones are time-limited and signed by block.
Somerville, MA
Most Somerville streets are resident-permit zones. Non-residents are limited to 2 hours on posted blocks from 8 AM to 8 PM daily including weekends.
Somerville, MA
Somerville requires a building permit for most fence installations, with historic districts adding a Historic Preservation Commission review step for visible...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Middlesex County.
See how other cities in Middlesex County handle rent control.
See how Somerville's rent control rules stack up against other locations.
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