Harvard Students Rally to Get Rent Control on 2026 Ballot

Harvard University students are actively collecting signatures to bring an initiative back to the ballot in 2026: reinstating rent control in Massachusetts.

According to The Harvard Crimson, the initiative would link annual rent increases in residential units across the state to cost-of-living increases, with a 5% yearly cap. The measure would exempt owner-occupied buildings with four or fewer units, as well as new buildings for the first 10 years after construction.

Homes for All Massachusetts, a statewide coalition of 12 grassroots housing justice groups, is leading the effort. This coalition of community organizations collaborates with the Harvard Law School canvassing group, Project No One Leaves, a student-run advocacy organization dedicated to tenants' rights.

The coalition has until mid-November to gather nearly 75,000 signatures for the initiative to qualify for the ballot in next year's state elections.

Harvard junior Melanie Garcia, who serves as the Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA) program group officer for advocacy, health, and housing, urged individuals not to ignore the issue.

“Even if you don't really agree with the rent control, just being able to have the option to vote for it is really important,” Garcia said in a statement shared with The Harvard Crimson. 

Rent control is not a new issue to surface in Boston. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu utilized the implementation of rent control as a key component of her mayoral campaign. Despite passing the measure through the Boston City Council upon taking office, the state legislature failed to approve it.

Recently, Boston City Council members had considered a resolution that would express their support for the 2026 ballot measure. Two councilors' objections, however, caused the resolution to go to a committee for a future hearing.

Meanwhile, Harvard students, such as senior Minerva C. Garcia, the PBHA community organizing chair and director of the Housing Opportunities Program, reiterate the significance of the housing crisis. “I feel like I've seen the rise in attention and interest in the housing crisis, specifically in Boston, too, from students from my classes, from the people who show up to events, to people who are involved in the shelters,” she said.