Tenants in Boston’s two- and three-family rental buildings would get at least a year’s notice and up to $15,000 in relocation money before their homes could be turned into condos, under a proposed change to the Boston condo conversion ordinance that city councilors take up again on Monday, Nov. 2.
The City Council’s Committee on Government Operations is scheduled to hold a working session on the proposal, docket #1711, at 10 a.m. on Zoom, according to the city’s public notice. Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata chairs the committee. Public comment will not be taken at the session, which is a chance for councilors and staff to work through the ordinance language.
2 and 3 units newly covered buildings · 1 year minimum notice · $10,000 to $15,000 relocation payments · $300 fine per violation, per day
What docket #1711 would do
Boston’s current rules, adopted in 1999 and extended several times since, apply to buildings with four or more units, according to the city’s housing department. The text of the proposed ordinance would extend similar protections to rental buildings with two or three units that are not occupied by their owners. Owner-occupied buildings with fewer than four units would remain exempt.
| Provision | Under the proposal |
|---|---|
| Buildings covered | Adds non-owner-occupied 2- and 3-unit rental buildings |
| Notice to tenants | 1 year; 2 years for elderly, disabled and low- or moderate-income tenants, with possible extensions |
| Relocation payment | $10,000; $15,000 for protected tenants |
| Permits | Two steps: a preliminary permit from the Mayor’s Office of Housing, then a final conversion permit from Inspectional Services |
| Lookback | 12 months, or 24 months when a master deed is the first sign of a planned conversion |
| Enforcement | $300 fine per violation, with each day a separate offense |
| Dates in effect | Jan. 1, 2027, through May 31, 2031 |
Source: Docket #1711 ordinance text and City of Boston housing department.
The lookback rule is aimed at buildings emptied before a conversion is announced. Under the draft, tenants who were in a building within the lookback period would still count. The proposal also updates the ordinance’s references from the former Office of Housing Stability to the Mayor’s Office of Housing, which would handle the first permit step, while the Inspectional Services Department would issue final conversion permits.
Why sponsors say it is needed
Councilor Liz Breadon, listed first among the sponsors, said in September that a Mayor’s Office of Housing review of conversions from 2019 to 2024 found that covering buildings of two or more units would have protected 97% of the rental units lost, according to BostonPolitics.org. She also said 91% of the units lost in two- and three-unit buildings were in Dorchester, Hyde Park, Mattapan, Roslindale, Roxbury and West Roxbury.
Coletta Zapata, who represents East Boston, said her district had been hit especially hard, and that under the change an owner “simply can’t empty a building first,” the outlet reported. The ordinance has 11 council sponsors: Breadon, Coletta Zapata, Erin Murphy, Henry Santana, Brian Worrell, Ruthzee Louijeune, Julia Mejia, Ed Flynn, John FitzGerald, Sharon Durkan and Miniard Culpepper, according to the docket.
Where the state law fits
The docket notes that the 2024 Affordable Homes Act, the state housing bond bill, extended state condo-conversion protections to non-owner-occupied buildings with fewer than four units. The city proposal would add Boston’s own notice periods, relocation payments and permit process on top of that state baseline.
What opponents and owners say
The Boston Report did not find public statements from landlord or property-owner groups on docket #1711 in the city’s notices or news coverage reviewed for this story. We will add any positions they share as the proposal moves forward. The council has debated related tenant measures this fall, including its support for a tenant right of first refusal bill and debate over changes to Boston’s inclusionary zoning rules.
What happens next
After the working session, the committee would need to issue a report before the full council can vote, and the mayor would have to sign the ordinance. The council has four regular meetings left this year, on Nov. 4, Nov. 18, Dec. 2 and Dec. 9. Track this and other votes on our City Council and City Hall decisions page.
Sources
- City of Boston public notice: Government Operations working session on docket #1711
- Docket #1711 proposed ordinance text (PDF)
- City of Boston: Condominium and Cooperative Conversion Ordinance
- BostonPolitics.org: Condo conversion ordinance working session
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