Boston Globe: "See the latest rent estimates and trends for cities and towns in Greater Boston"

"When you live in Greater Boston, it can feel like the rent never stops climbing. Each year, the price of signing a new lease, or resigning an old one, grows more expensive — whether it be by $50 or $200 — than it was last year.

Indeed, there’s some truth to that.

In many metropolitan areas across the US, rents have trended down over the last year or so, particularly in places where an abundance of new housing has come online.

Not Greater Boston.

See the latest rent estimates and trends

Rent in this housing-starved region has grown more expensive in nearly every community over the last year, according to a new monthly rent tracker launched by the Globe that compares rental trends at the local level"

Shared from -> https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/08/12/business/greater-boston-apartments-rent-price-tracker/ 

How to access the Globe articles via the Franklin Library with your library card

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2025/02/how-to-access-online-resources-with.html

"rents in metro Denver declined year-over-year… The region added nearly 20,000 new apartments last year"

rents in metro Denver declined year-over-year

Jonathan Berk (@berkie1) posted Sat, Jan 25, 2025:

"For only the third time in records going back to 1990, rents in metro Denver declined year-over-year… 

The region added nearly 20,000 new apartments last year, about double the typical pace seen in recent years." https://t.co/TOe4kXmYMw

Shared from ->   https://x.com/berkie1/status/1883291581199098115?

Link to Denver Post article ->   https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realestate/metro-denver-apartment-rents-plunge-in-fourth-quarter-as-a-blizzard-of-new-units-descend-on-market/ar-AA1xNsWh

Boston Globe: "Massachusetts shifts gears: New Mass Save plan targets rental units for green upgrades"

"Now, a new, three-year plan from Mass Save is poised to change that. The state program is funded by ratepayers through a surcharge on their gas and electric bills, and every three years, it releases a new plan that governs how much it will spend and what kind of incentives it will offer. The latest iteration increases funding for energy efficiency by 25 percent, to $5 billion over three years. 

https://www.masssave.com/-/media/Files/PDFs/Mass-2025-2027-Energy-Efficiency-Decarbonization-Plan.pdf

The new Mass Save plan, which is under review by the state Department of Public Utilities and expected to be finalized early this year, includes incentives for owners of rental units in 21 so-called designated equity communities, which have high percentages of renters and low- and moderate-income residents. Those include Boston, Worcester, Springfield, and Fall River.

New rules would cover the entire costs of weatherization, such as adding insulation or sealing windows to keep in heat, instead of providing only partial reimbursements, as long as at least half the building is rental units. For those buildings, Mass Save will also address legacy issues including the presence of asbestos or knob-and-tube wiring."

Continue reading the Boston Globe article (subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/01/01/science/mass-save-landlords-renters/

Find the proposed plan here (PDF file) ->    https://www.masssave.com/-/media/Files/PDFs/Mass-2025-2027-Energy-Efficiency-Decarbonization-Plan.pdf

Visit MassSave directly here -> https://www.masssave.com/

InvisiblePeople.TV: "With Rent Increases Outpacing Wages, More Families Are Falling into Homelessness"

"22.4 million households are crushed by rent burden, and homelessness is rising fast. Learn how corporate greed and housing shortages are driving the crisis—and how we can fight back."

Skyrocketing rent burden across the U.S. is driving more working individuals into homelessness, highlighting the urgent need for affordable housing and policy reforms to prevent further economic devastation.

"Nationwide rent burden has hit an all-time high, according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. Learn how skyrocketing housing costs are fueling homelessness—and what you can do to protect yourself and your community before it’s too late.

“You have a full-time job. Where do you sleep?”

“I still sleep on the streets,” said Charlie, a homeless man engaged in an eye-opening interview with Invisible People.

“It doesn’t matter if you have two full-time jobs. It’s hard,” Charlie continued, acknowledging the need to pay for other things besides rent, such as food and transportation."

Continue reading the article online ->  

https://invisiblepeople.tv/the-crushing-weight-of-rent-how-americas-housing-crisis-fuels-homelessness/?

Freakonomics Radio: Why Rent Control Doesn’t Work (Update) (audio)

Catching up to this episode from July...

https://freakonomics.com/podcast/why-rent-control-doesnt-work-update/

https://pca.st/episode/86e4d376-9f0a-4022-b1a4-e0b284e686c8

Instrument Rental Night Training for music teachers at the Franklin Library - Aug 20

Mrs. Plouffe (@FranklinHSOrch) posted on Mon, Aug 19, 2024:

"If you are free on Tuesday, 8/20 from 7-8PM, join us at the Franklin Public Library for an instrument rental night training. 

David French Music will provide our teachers with $75 of music supplies for each person in attendance. "

@FHSPantherbook @FranklinHSMusic @MusicBoostersFr https://t.co/wPgCMeHNaM

 

Instrument Rental Night Training for music teachers at the Franklin Library - Aug 20

What issues do renters face?

What issues do renters face? By Anna Burns When you want to know what's happening in housing, you go to the experts. That's why the FTC joined renters, renters' advocates, and researchers in Atlanta to hear about issues affecting renters.  They told us that the rise of institutional investors and corporate landlords since the financial crisis has contributed to rising rents, hidden junk fees, issues with online portals, and predatory lease-to-own schemes.  Here are some takeaways from housing advocates and renters. Read more ->  https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2024/06/what-issues-do-renters-face?

What issues do renters face?

 

Kayak rental at Beaver Pond coming soon

Coming to Beaver Pond soon will be a self service kayak station with 4 kayaks, paddles, and life jackets. Families can rent kayaks for $25 for 2 hours/$15 for each additional hour, sun up to sun down.  

Plans for a small dock and kayak launch will follow. 

mock up of Kayak rental

Kayak launch video https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=lO6ZcnjjnWw 

More about Beaver Pond's Chilson Beach -> https://www.franklinma.gov/.../beaver-pond-chilson-beach

Shared from -> https://www.facebook.com/share/48DwtzpN4pvEnuUV/

Census data for MA by county and age for homeownership vs rental

"The U.S. Census Bureau released an interactive map illustrating 2020 Census data about homeownership by the age, race and ethnicity of the householder. The map provides data at the national, state and county levels and data from the 2010 Census for comparison.

The Census Bureau also released the brief Housing Characteristics: 2020, which provides an overview of homeownership, renters, vacant housing and other 2020 Census housing statistics previously released through the 2020 Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics File (DHC)."

Continue reading the press release -> https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2023/2020-census-map-homeownership.html

As a teaser, I share three of the images that the interactive tool can provide.

homeownership vs rental for MA at State level

homeownership vs rental for MA at County level

homeownership vs rental for MA at County level by Age

Taj Estates - listings available for occupancy later this year

"Are you looking for your perfect home? Look no further than Taj Estates of Franklin! Our luxurious and spacious two-bedroom apartments offer modern amenities and are located in the heart of Franklin, MA.

Enjoy spacious living in our four-story building, with elegant and comfortable living spaces ranging from 1320 to 1600 square feet. Our community offers a welcoming atmosphere with top-notch amenities, making Taj Estates of Franklin the perfect place to call home.

Don’t wait any longer! Make Taj Estates of Franklin your new home today and start experiencing a life of comfort and style."

Find out more info online at their webpage -> https://tajfranklin.com/

Taj Estates - listings available for occupancy later this year

"See how much the typical rental costs are in your town, according to Census data"

"Massachusetts renters ― like the state’s owners ― pay some of the highest housing costs in the nation, according to recent Census data.

Rents in Massachusetts are sixth highest among states, according to the data released last month, with the median renter paying $1,336 per month. That’s an increase from $1,006 in 2010. Lexington had the highest rental costs in the state at $2,431, followed by Brookline at $2,305, and Cambridge at $2,293.

The data, which cover a time period of 2016 to 2020, also offer a snapshot of the share of renters vs. owners. In Massachusetts overall, 33 percent of housing units were occupied by renters. Zooming into the city/town level, Chelsea has the highest share of rental housing, with 69 percent of units occupied by people who rent, followed by Lawrence at 66 percent, Somerville at 62 percent, and Cambridge at 58 percent."

Continue reading the article online (Subscription may be required)
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/04/05/metro/charts-see-how-much-typical-rental-costs-are-your-town-according-census-data/ 

table view of Franklin specific data

Map view of Massachusetts data

Map view of Franklin data

"housing assistance programs have been gradually scaling down"

"AS A FEDERAL rental assistance program winds down, housing advocates are looking to the state to help fill the gap. But the state assistance programs are not as generous as the federal program was, leading to concerns that struggling tenants – particularly tenants of color – could increasingly face evictions. Housing assistance will be up for debate Thursday as the state Senate considers its version of a $1.6 billion supplemental budget bill.

On Tuesday, Homes for All Massachusetts and researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology released a report which found that evictions are disproportionately occurring in Black and Latino neighborhoods, neighborhoods with more single mother heads of households, areas with absentee and corporate landlords, and in central and southeast Massachusetts. Of all evictions filed between October 2020 and October 2021, 43 percent were in neighborhoods where a majority of residents are non-white, even though only 32 percent of rental housing is in these areas."

Continue reading the article online -> 

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/the-download/wind-down-of-housing-assistance-raises-concerns-2/ 

More info from the National Low Income Housing Coalition on MA housing

https://nlihc.org/housing-needs-by-state/massachusetts

More info from the National Low Income Housing Coalition on MA housing

"there isn’t a single US county where a full-time minimum wage worker can afford a modest two-bedroom rental"

"Nearly half of American workers do not earn enough to rent a one-bedroom apartment, according to new data.

Rents in the US continued to increase through the pandemic, and a worker now needs to earn about $20.40 an hour to afford a modest one-bedroom rental. The median wage in the US is about $21 an hour.

The data, from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, shows that millions of Americans – from Amazon warehouse workers to cab drivers to public school teachers – are struggling to pay rent. For the poorest Americans, market-rate housing is out of reach in virtually all of the country."

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/aug/12/housing-renter-affordable-data-map

Guardian graphic. Source: National Low Income Housing Coalition. Note: In 2021 dollars

Eviction moratorium extended

"Amid intense pressure from progressive members of Congress, the Biden administration on Tuesday renewed a federal ban on evictions for renters at risk of losing their housing, with most of Massachusetts covered by the new order.

Citing the quick spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention late Tuesday announced a new 60-day federal moratorium on evictions in counties where the cases are again at elevated levels. Currently, that includes all of Massachusetts, except for Franklin and Hampshire Counties."

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/08/03/business/biden-extends-eviction-moratorium-another-two-months/

New York Times coverage (subscription maybe required) ->    https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/03/us/politics/evictions-housing-moratorium-pelosi-yellen.html

Link to the CDC order -> https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s0803-cdc-eviction-order.html

MA News Updates: bailout funds create 'haves' and 'have-nots'; eviction moratorium expires

" ‘An extinction level event.’ Federal bailout funds split struggling restaurant industry"

"For 16 months, while scrambling to stay afloat, the restaurant industry has begged the federal government for money to help recover from the pandemic. But the $28.6 billion Restaurant Relief Fund didn’t play out as they’d intended. The funds became mired in legal challenges, and then ran out far too quickly, leaving more than 200,000 applicants — nearly two in every three restaurants that applied — in the lurch.

Now, food service workers say, it’s splitting the industry in two: the haves, and the have-nots.

“Imagine you live on a street and all the houses burn down, and the government says, ‘You’re going to be okay and we’re going to help you rebuild,’ ” said chef Steve “Nookie” Postal of Commonwealth in Cambridge, which didn’t receive any funds. “And then the government turns around and says, ‘We’re just going to give it to 30 percent of the houses on your block.’ They can rebuild their house. You’re [out of luck].”

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/08/01/business/an-extinction-level-event-federal-bailout-funds-split-struggling-restaurant-industry/ 

The Franklin restaurants (there are not many) who were among the 'haves' can be found in this listing  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2021/07/sba-restaurant-revitalization-fund.html

Lets Eat Franklin operates 3

"End of eviction moratorium brings worry"

"ANXIETY IS HIGH among tenants, landlords, and housing advocates as the midnight Saturday expiration date for the federal eviction moratorium looms, but what the end of the tenant protection will actually mean is uncertain.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention imposed a nationwide moratorium on evictions 11 months ago. The state had earlier put in place its own stricter ban. The state measure, which precluded landlords from filing nearly all eviction actions, expired in October, but the federal ban remained in place until now."

Continue reading the article online 

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/economy/end-of-eviction-moratorium-brings-anxiety/

MassConsumer: "Eviction Moratorium to Expire This Month" - resources available

"Throughout the pandemic, state and federal governments developed policies to protect residents facing job loss and other COVID-19 related hardships. Among those orders were moratoriums placed on home evictions. When the state’s pause on evictions expired on October 17, 2020, the federal moratorium established by the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) became effective in Massachusetts.

The CDC order, which has been extended several times, prohibits residential landlords nationwide from evicting certain tenants through July 31, 2021. Over the past year while the moratorium has been in place, courts have accepted filings, processed cases, and in some cases even entered judgments; however, no orders of execution (a court order that allows a landlord to evict a tenant) have been permitted. The CDC has said there will be no additional extensions on the eviction moratorium which means these cases can move forward. "

Continue reading the article online

http://blog.mass.gov/consumer/massconsumer/eviction-moratorium-to-expire-this-month/

 "Eviction Moratorium to Expire This Month" - resources available

"Swimply has 43 pools 'live' on its platform in Massachusetts, and another 170 are on a waitlist pending approval"

"If you order an Uber, you’ll ride in someone else’s car, and if you book an Airbnb, you’ll sleep in someone else’s home. Now, with an app called Swimply, you can stay cool in other people’s pools.

Erin Moriarty, a teacher who lives in Waltham, heard about the swimming pool app when a friend asked her to download it so he could rent her backyard oasis for his wife’s upcoming birthday party. Moriarty decided to give it a try, but she didn’t expect the flood of interest in her backyard that followed.

“I listed my pool on a Saturday, and when I woke up the next day, I had 10 bookings,” she said. “I’m surprised how many people know about the app.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/07/11/business/business-their-backyard-some-mass-residents-are-renting-pools-by-hour/

Greg and Kelly Daniell posed by their backyard pool. This summer, the Chelmsford couple have started using the app Swimply to rent out their pool by the hour.ERIN CLARK/GLOBE STAFF

Behind on your rent and worried about eviction?

Behind on your rent and worried about eviction? by Sana Chriss - Attorney, Division of Consumer & Business Education, FTC Lots of people are having difficulty paying their rent due to the pandemic. But today, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released an eviction moratorium order. It protects people from being evicted for not paying their rent if they complete a declaration form and give it to their landlord. This protection lasts until June 30, 2021. Read more >  https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2021/03/behind-your-rent-and-worried-about-eviction?utm_source=govdelivery

Baker-Polito Administration Extends Moratorium on Evictions and Foreclosures to October 17

From the Boston Globe, an article of interest for Franklin:

"As concerns mount about a potential wave of evictions this fall, Governor Charlie Baker on Tuesday extended the state’s ban on evictions and foreclosures into mid-October, citing the ongoing health and economic crisis set off by the pandemic. 

The ban, which was set to expire Aug. 18, will remain in effect until Oct. 17, buying time for tenants as the state slowly starts to recover economically from the impact of COVID-19-related shutdowns. The measure blocks nearly all eviction cases from being filed in the state’s housing courts. 

“The extension I am declaring today will provide residents of the Commonwealth with continued housing security as businesses cautiously re-open, more people return to work, and we collectively move toward a new normal,” Baker wrote to the Legislature."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/07/21/metro/gov-baker-extends-eviction-moratorium-until-oct-17/

Link to Press Release  https://www.mass.gov/news/baker-polito-administration-extends-moratorium-on-evictions-and-foreclosures-to-october-17

PDF of the extension letter  https://www.mass.gov/doc/foreclosures-and-evictions-moratorium-extension-july-21-2020/download

Baker-Polito Administration Extends Moratorium on Evictions and Foreclosures to October 17

"exempts people who rent their homes 14 or fewer nights a year"

From the Boston Globe, an article of interest for Franklin:

"Governor Charlie Baker on Friday signed first-of-its-kind legislation to tax and regulate the short-term housing rental market in Massachusetts, capping years of debate over how to navigate an industry that has exploded through companies like Airbnb. 

The new rules will take effect July 1 and could transform a market that spans the state, from Cape Cod summer homes to Boston apartment buildings to Western Massachusetts vacation retreats. 

The bill requires every rental host to register with the state, mandates they carry insurance, and opens the potential for local taxes on top of a new state levy. A chief negotiator for the House said the goal is to register every short-term rental in the state by September, and local officials, including in Boston, say the new law will help buttress their own efforts to regulate the booming market."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/12/28/baker-signs-long-awaited-airbnb-bill-opening-new-era-for-industry/gyCoryp9D15nLPYxYk5cTN/story.html

exempts people who rent their homes 14 or fewer nights a year {WALDO SWIEGERS/BLOOMBERG NEWS}

Additional info on MA.gov
https://malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2018/Chapter337