Rent control rules in Webster, MA — also known as rent stabilization or rent cap ordinances — limit annual rent increases and protect tenants from displacement.
Worcester County MA has no rent control. MGL c. 40P (the 1994 ballot-initiative-enacted Massachusetts Rent Control Prohibition Act) prohibits all municipalities from imposing rent control or vacancy control. Legislation to repeal c. 40P has been filed but not passed. Landlords may raise rent at lease renewal or with 30-day notice for tenants-at-will, subject to MGL c. 186 notice rules and anti-retaliation protections under MGL c. 186, §18.
Rent control in Massachusetts is prohibited statewide by MGL c. 40P (Massachusetts Rent Control Prohibition Act), passed by ballot initiative in 1994. This preemption applies to all 60 Worcester County municipalities. MGL c. 40P, §3 states: 'No city or town shall enact, maintain, or enforce rent control of any kind.' The law defines rent control broadly to include any regulation of residential rent levels, vacancy control, or restrictions on the ability to set rent. Legislative proposals to repeal or amend c. 40P (including bills filed in 2023-2024 sessions) have not advanced. Landlords may therefore raise rent freely subject to: (1) lease terms — rent cannot be increased mid-lease on a fixed-term tenancy; (2) notice requirements for tenancy-at-will — MGL c. 186, §12 requires written notice equal to the rental period (typically 30 days); (3) anti-retaliation under MGL c. 186, §18 — rent increases within 6 months of a tenant's code complaint, union membership, or lawful exercise of tenant rights are presumptively retaliatory; (4) federal Fair Housing Act prohibiting discriminatory increases; (5) state security deposit law MGL c. 186, §15B limiting deposits to one month's rent. Some Worcester County public housing authorities and MassHousing-financed properties have rent limits under those specific programs.
Retaliatory rent increase: tenant counterclaim under MGL c. 186, §18 with treble damages possible. Improper notice: tenant may refuse increase until proper notice given. Discriminatory rent increase: complaint to MA Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD). Security deposit violations: treble damages under MGL c. 186, §15B.
Webster, MA
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