Rent control rules in Waltham, MA — also known as rent stabilization or rent cap ordinances — limit annual rent increases and protect tenants from displacement.
Waltham cannot enact rent control because Massachusetts MGL Chapter 40P (the 1994 voter referendum) prohibits all forms of residential rent control statewide.
Rent control is prohibited in Waltham and throughout Massachusetts by MGL Chapter 40P, enacted by voter referendum in 1994. The statute bars cities and towns from adopting rent control, rent stabilization, vacancy control, or any regulation of residential rents. Waltham therefore has no rent caps, rent increase limits, or just-cause eviction ordinance, regardless of local political interest. Landlords may set and raise rents at will subject to lease terms. Tenants protected by Section 8, public housing, or state subsidized programs have rent rules tied to those programs, not to local ordinance. Proposals to restore local rent control authority (home rule petitions) have been filed in the legislature repeatedly but have not passed. Tenants facing hardship can access Waltham Housing Authority programs and state RAFT emergency rental assistance.
Contact your local code enforcement office for specific penalty information.
Waltham, MA
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Waltham, MA
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Waltham, MA
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Waltham, MA
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Waltham, MA
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Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Middlesex County.
See how other cities in Middlesex County handle rent control.
See how Waltham's rent control rules stack up against other locations.
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