SOMERVILLE, Mass. — Dozens rallied in Union Square Monday night in a kickoff rally for rent control to be on the statewide ballot next Fall.
“Fight, fight, fight,” chanted Somerville and nearby residents. “Housing is a right!”
The rally was organized by Somerville’s Community Action Agency.
Samantha Wolfe, an organizing director, said their community has been struggling with skyrocketing annual rent increases.
“Corporate investors are buying up buildings across the state, jacking up the rents, and kicking out the tenants who live there,” she told Boston 25 Monday.
She and her organization are now working to collect 75,000 signatures for a petition over the next few months for rent control to land on the 2026 statewide ballot.
She added, “We need it today. We needed it yesterday.”
The Somerville Community Action Agency said the ballot initiative would limit annual rent increase statewide to no more than 5%. That limit would also apply to new renters moving in.
The crowd listen closely to Gary Rogers, a longtime Somerville native who’s lived on Sargent Avenue for 8 years.
He told Boston 25 News he’s been in the same third-floor, one bedroom apartment for the better part of a decade. In February of 2024, he claims an investor from Californian bought the building, and hiked up the annual rates.
“92%,” he said. “$1,050 raise per month, not fixing anything, just the way it is.”
He said Monday was his 580th day of refusing to pay the increased rent. He says he continues to pay the previous rent despite being given a 30-day eviction notice when the building was bought.
He’ll be appearing in Eastern Court Tuesday for an ongoing legal battle with his landlord, he said Monday.
Boston 25 News reached out to his landlord, Ryan Pinto, who said in part, “Unit 3 is undergoing an eviction... To break even on mortgage, maintenance, insurance, property taxes, snow removal, water and sewer I had to increase rents.”
Somerville residents and more nearby said the move for legal oversight of rent increases is long overdue.
“On my block, I’m watching people leave,” said one Somerville resident.
A Cambridge resident added, “I just want to keep it an affordable place to live.”
The Somerville Community Action Agency told Boston 25 News they have more events scheduled for this weekend around the Boston area.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
