After the House and Senate both included versions of the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) in the Economic Development bill, advocates push for strongest version of TOPA to be included in final bill.
One year ago, Massachusetts made history when a landmark eviction record sealing law was enacted, giving tenants the opportunity to seal eviction records from public view in certain types of cases. Today, we were proud to celebrate the impact of this law – and to launch a new resource to help spread the word so that more tenants can access it.
Tenant and immigrant rights groups condemn proposal that could force tens of thousands of families from their homes, urge government to immediately withdraw proposal
Greater Boston Legal Services, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, The Legal Aid Society, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, the Massachusetts Union of Public Housing Tenants, and the National Housing Law Project issued the following statement marking the close of the comment period on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) proposed rule targeting mixed-status families, which puts tens of thousands of households at risk of losing their homes:
Devenscrest tenants have fought for four years to retain low-cost units in tight-knit development
AYER – The Devenscrest Tenants Association (DCTA) is praising state housing officials, local legislators and the housing advocates of the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) for their commitment to enabling an agreement with a new buyer, the Schochet Companies, that will keep families in their homes with rents they can afford. Gov. Maura Healy today announced a funding award that will help to make the transaction possible.
BOSTON, MA (July 7 2025) – The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) and Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) applaud the Legislature’s proposal that bans the practice of requiring renters to pay broker’s fees when they have not hired a broker themselves. This long-overdue reform, included in the Fiscal Year 2026 state budget, will make accessing housing more affordable for thousands of Massachusetts renters.
For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Madeline Graf, mgraf@mlri.org, 617-357-0700 ext. 368
Boston, MA (May 1, 2025) – Massachusetts tenants now have the right to seal their eviction records in certain types of cases, removing a significant barrier to housing access. The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) is excited to announce that the new eviction record sealing protections, passed as part of the Affordable Homes Act, are now in effect, providing eligible tenants with the chance for a clean slate as they search for a next place to live.
The Housing Development Incentive Program (HDIP) subsidizes market rate and luxury projects in Gateway Cities. MLRI has published two extensive reports (Review of the Housing Development Incentive Program (“HDIP”) & Update on the Housing Development Incentive Program (HDIP): a subsidy for market rate housing) documenting the mostly inequitable results of the millions spent on HDIP. Thus far, HDIP has spent $146 million taxpayer dollars on housing targeted to smaller households with disposable income. And as the affordable housing crisis intensifies and federal cutbacks loom, the state may spend up to another $30 million every year to support only higher priced housing - no affordable units. HDIP owners can set rents at whatever the market will bear. In some Gateway Cities the rents, while mostly above market, are somewhat reasonable. But in others, HDIP rents in subsidized buildings are outrageously high as you can see from this sample. MLRI advocates to reform HDIP as a mixed income program - market rate and deeply affordable.
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