Housing Preservation
Much of the Commonwealth’s stock of affordable housing units was built in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980’s. The low-income use restrictions on these projects now face elimination as owners pay off their subsidized mortgages, or opt out of their existing Section 8 rental subsidy contracts. To preserve these units requires a combination of resident and community initiative, public and private investment, and technical expertise.
On November 23, 2009, the Governor signed Massachusetts General Law Chapter 40T – An Act Preserving Publicly Assisted Affordable Housing. This landmark legislation aims to help preserve existing privately-owned affordable housing in Massachusetts. The legislation establishes notification provisions for tenants, a right of first refusal for DHCD or its designee to purchase publicly assisted housing, and modest tenant protections for projects with affordability restrictions that terminate.
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An Assessment of Boston’s Housing Cooperatives/ Jan 25, 2023BOSTON (January 25, 2023) – As the nation’s housing crisis escalates, affordable solutions feel scarce, especially in high-cos...
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Decade-old law has preserved 20,000 affordable housing units/ Dec 10, 2020BOSTON – In its first 10 years in effect, a state law meant to preserve affordable housing in Massachusetts has protected almost...
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Register today for a free virtual training on the Massachusetts Housing Preservation Law, Chapter 40TNov 09, 2020In its first 10 years, Chapter 40T has played a crucial role in the preservation of over 9,500 affordable units in almos...