Portland residents may face referendum to permit bigger lease will increase
Portland residents may very well be confronted with one other referendum referring to rental prices within the subsequent yr.
The proposed referendum would permit landlords to set new rental charges as excessive as they select after a tenant voluntarily leaves a residence, based on the Portland Press Herald.
Underneath Portland’s lease management referendum handed in November 2022, landlords can solely increase the lease of a unit by 5 p.c as soon as it’s voluntarily vacated by a tenant.
Portland additionally permits landlords to boost rents each 12 months primarily based on inflation, so for 2023 they will hike the charge 7 p.c of the present lease. Landlords can go to the town’s lease board to get will increase for main upgrades, however the annual lease hikes are capped at 10 p.c or much less.
The Rental Housing Alliance of Southern Maine, an affiliation of landlords, is searching for to gather 1,500 signatures by Feb. 17 to get the proposal in entrance of voters on the June poll. As a result of a lease management measure was authorized by referendum in November, it can’t be modified for a minimum of 5 years — or by one other referendum query.
If the group can collect sufficient signatures, the referendum will seem on the June 13 poll.
The proposed referendum would permit rents to be dictated by comparable market charges, Brit Vitalis, president of the owner group, informed the Portland newspaper. He additionally mentioned it will assist stop landlords from searching for gradual lease will increase from new tenants.
However Ethan Strimling, former mayor and a proponent of plenty of lease management initiatives, informed the Press Herald the referendum is transferring the town away from the objectives of the unique lease management referendum.
