From new housing developments, rent control news, election updates, and more - the RHA wants to keep our members informed of the latest local headlines. Read up on the latest headlines & news articles from the past week below and stay tuned for weekly recaps every Friday.
October 19: “Landlords say proposed rental registry may drive them out of Waterville”
Local rental housing providers in Waterville expressed concern that a new rental registration ordinance currently being developed by Waterville’s housing committee could negatively impact the city. According to Waterville city officials, the rental registration ordinance is “meant to make sure properties are safe and that landlords can be reached easily in an emergency.” However, Waterville’s rental housing providers are concerned that the ordinance is yet another regulation that would make “doing business in Waterville too difficult for them to remain.”
Read the full article here.
October 19: “Progressive referendums are driving polarization in Portland”
A recent article from Bangor Daily News highlights the current tensions during this election season, and the opinions from some locals - including the disagreement around the referendum process, which was quoted as putting “a lot of undue stress” on Portland. “As a real estate agent and landlord, [Alex Kappelman] vehemently opposes Question C, which requires 90-day notices for lease terminations and rent increases and discourages no-cause evictions, which he said would end up being bad for renters and landlords. “It’s driving down property value and it’s causing landlords to increase rent unnecessarily,” Kappelman said.”
Read the full article here.
October 18: “Rent Control Heats Up Amid Challenges From Industry”
Trade publication, Multi-Housing News, covered various cities and states across the nation that have enacted local legislation and ballot measures regarding rent control and their implications - including the rent control ordinance in Portland, ME.
“Our position is that these are failed policies that go by a number of different names nowadays, but ultimately they work against housing affordability because they reduce the quality and quantity of the housing stock,” said Nicole Upano, assistant vice president of housing, policy & regulatory affairs at the National Apartment Association. The National Multifamily Housing Council also cited research that testified to the negative impacts of rent control.
Read the full article here.
October 18: “South Portland Council votes to extend rent cap and eviction moratorium”
This Tuesday, the South Portland City Council voted to extend their emergency rent cap and eviction moratorium for another six months. If approved at the next reading on November 1, the cap and moratorium would remain in place until May 26. The emergency rent cap and eviction moratorium was originally put in place back in June, following the actions of JRK Property Holdings at Redbank Village.
Read the full article here.
October 16: “ECC opens new space, fundraises for low income housing project”
The Equality Community Center, a “collaborative workplace for LGBTQ+ and allied social justice seeking non-profit organizations” based in Portland, recently celebrated the grand opening of their new space on Casco Street. The event also helped kick off a fundraiser to develop a new 60-unit affordable housing building to serve the LGBTQ+ community. Their current goal is to raise $4 million for the development, with $2.5 million raised so far.
Read the full article here.
