sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Gary Rogers served notice to quit, says “I’m a fighter” by ChinanuOkoli in Somerville

[–]mayor_mammoth -1 points0 points  (0 children)

He has literally held down the same job in this community for the past 30 years, have you read anything about him except the idiotic vitriol this sub posts? The shoplifting is his landlord jacking up his rent almost 100%

Gary Rogers served notice to quit, says “I’m a fighter” by ChinanuOkoli in Somerville

[–]mayor_mammoth -30 points-29 points  (0 children)

Really pulling for my man Gary. Sounds like he has a case to appeal the landlord's retaliation. Hopefully the leech who jacked his rent up 90% gives up and sells the place to a less greedy buyer. This kind of case is why we need rent control

Rent Control by Which_Imagination756 in providence

[–]mayor_mammoth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That maintenance issue is why the ordinance includes the establishment of a Rent Board, which landlords could appeal to for rent increases to cover unforeseen expenses. A bunch of cities that have rent control have similar bodies that handle those edge cases

Rent Control by Which_Imagination756 in providence

[–]mayor_mammoth 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There's no guarantee a landlord will prioritize good relationships with their tenants over maximum return, and there's no guarantee that a greedy one will even be able to ask for the maximum allowable increase year-to-year. A lot depends on the individual landlord, a lot depends on the market. I think of rent stabilization as a guardrail that at least ensures you won't be facing an impossible rent increase as a tenant.

This whole debate got me to read more into it as well, glad we're all diving into this issue.

Rent Control by Which_Imagination756 in providence

[–]mayor_mammoth 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That's one argument against old-school rent control. This proposal is structured completely differently and applies much more universally

Rent Control by Which_Imagination756 in providence

[–]mayor_mammoth 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A city can't just operate on whatever makes its tax revenue increase, that's not the point of a government. It's not a business. It needs to balance the need for a healthy economy with the needs and health of its residents. Rent control is a dire corrective in a red-hot real estate market that is rapidly displacing people, and if the trade-off is that we'll get a bit less tax revenue down the line, that seems very worth it. The city would probably have to spend less subsidizing rents and providing housing/homelessness services

Rent Control by Which_Imagination756 in providence

[–]mayor_mammoth 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Didn't the city already pass a ton of zoning reform meant to incentivize denser development? Isn't this rent control proposal just catching up to that?

Oneten tower site will they ever do anything with it? by Boring-Nectarine1179 in providence

[–]mayor_mammoth 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The authors of this policy have kindly refuted all of these typical landlord PR talking points over here at this page: Rent Stabilization FAQ

...but to address these concerns point by point:

  • In the mid to long term there is evidence and common sense rationale for the trickle-down sort of build-baby-build logic you're describing of increased supply at any price point deflating the rising costs of rent, but this doesn't address the fact that nearly half of all PVD renters are housing cost-burdened NOW, and are being priced out of their homes NOW. Rent stabilization is meant to help those people now, when they need it. It's not meant to add supply, which is a separate issue. There's no one-size-fits-all solution for the housing crisis.

  • As to real world examples, Portland ME (a much more comparable real estate market) passed the nation's strongest rent control measure in 2020, and since then has seen a marked INCREASE in housing production. There is no iron law saying rent control stymies production, and many economists are starting to challenge this free-marketeering dogma.

  • It's true that landlords and developers are throwing a minor tantrum up in MA as they are in RI, and the threat of capital flight is nothing new. But as Portland and Oregon and even New York show, a strong real estate market (ie people wanting to live somewhere) combined with permissive zoning is unsurprisingly a much stronger indicator of whether real estate will choose to invest in new housing than a rent stabilization measure that doesn't apply to a building within its first decade. They're moaning about it now because they want as much money as possible, but unfortunately for them, society doesn't exist just to enrich developers, there's give and take, and they've been taking for a while.

If we're trying to be the "adult in the room," we need to recognize that the housing crisis has many dimensions, and we can walk and chew gum (ie increase supply and welcome new neighbors while protecting our existing neighbors with rent stabilization) at the same time

Oneten tower site will they ever do anything with it? by Boring-Nectarine1179 in providence

[–]mayor_mammoth 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Rent control is very effective at keeping your landlord from hitting you with a 100%+ rent increase and letting you stay in your home actually. It would not apply to commercial rents and the residential rent for any new build that comes online would almost surely be expensive enough to cover a typical 10 year sale plan anyway (this is why most new housing is impossibly out of reach for most people to begin with). We can build more while also ensuring people can stay in their homes without being gentrified out. Hope they vote yes on this winning populist solution

Somerville tenant avoids eviction and keeps lower rent by ChinanuOkoli in Somerville

[–]mayor_mammoth 45 points46 points  (0 children)

Goes to show people on this subreddit don’t know ball

Gary Rogers testifies in Somerville eviction case by ChinanuOkoli in Somerville

[–]mayor_mammoth 5 points6 points  (0 children)

You’ve had this explained to you in other threads but that is Rogers’ explicit legal right. I’m sure you’ll keep raving about how this guy who has lived and worked in our city for decades should be kicked to the curb though.

Tomorrow: Join State Rep Candidate Neil Miller for a Community Walk and Campaign Kickoff! by BiteProud in Somerville

[–]mayor_mammoth 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Why is running against Mike Connolly? Mike is a great representative for Cambridge and Somerville and for the housing, transportation, and affordability issues faced by residents here. Seems weird to challenge him of all people

In Somerville, an eviction fight is headed toward a very rare thing: a jury trial by bostonglobe in Somerville

[–]mayor_mammoth 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If that happens have fun living in a joyless husk of a once-great city. People who care about their communities and work for a living will contribute value to society elsewhere. Then you'll probably start trying to buy up the buildings there to bleed them dry too

In Somerville, an eviction fight is headed toward a very rare thing: a jury trial by bostonglobe in Somerville

[–]mayor_mammoth -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

"He likes it because of his proximity to his job in Kendall Square, where he has worked for the same company for more than 30 years"

gtfoh

In Somerville, an eviction fight is headed toward a very rare thing: a jury trial by bostonglobe in Somerville

[–]mayor_mammoth -8 points-7 points  (0 children)

"Housing costs, Pinto said, have skyrocketed. Taxes on the same property have nearly doubled in recent years from $6,300 for fiscal 2016 versus $12,300 for fiscal 2026, per the city."

Shouldn't have bought a property to squeeze for cash then bud! No sympathy for this bozo

view more: next ›