POR 2025-24
City Manager is requested to work with the Law Department to draft a home rule petition allowing Cambridge to end the practice of property owners passing on broker’s fees to tenants
Voted yes (7)
Burhan Azeem
Marc McGovern
Patty Nolan
Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler
Ayesha M. Wilson
Cathie Zusy
E. Denise Simmons
Voted no (1)
Paul F. Toner
Absent (1)
Sumbul Siddiqui
The item's path through the council, every recorded step. How the request pipeline works
O-8
On February 25, 2025, the Neighborhood and Long Term Planning Committee hosted
a meeting on broker’s fees to rent an apartment and other housing fees charged to tenants; and
At that committee meeting, staff from Greater Boston Legal Services and City staff in the Law Department, Housing Department, and Housing Liaison Office presented on how they have seen the impact of those fees in their work, what regulations currently exist around broker and other housing fees, and proposed legislation to regulate the practices; and
One of the recommendations from that meeting was that the City Council could submit a home rule petition in support of ending the practice of property owners passing on broker’s fees to tenants, similar to home rule petitions the Cities of Somerville and Boston have submitted; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with the Law Department to draft a home rule petition allowing Cambridge to end the practice of property owners passing on broker’s fees to tenants; and be it further
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council in a timely manner.
Public Comment (2)
2 written comments received (2025-03-17). Letter-writers are named in the city's own agenda and are not republished here, by policy.