Boston Council Eyes Condo Conversion Ordinance Expansion Before December Expiration

BOSTON — September 23, 2025 — Boston City Council committee hears proposal to expand condo conversion tenant protections to smaller buildings before a December expiration deadline. The Government Operations Committee held a virtual hearing September 23 on Docket 0766, sponsored by Council President Liz Breadon and Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune, that would extend and strengthen the city's condo conversion ordinance before it sunsets at year's end. Karina Oliver-Milchman, Director of Policy Development and Research for the Mayor's Office of Housing, told the committee that expanding coverage from four-unit-minimum buildings to two-unit-minimum buildings would have protected 99 percent of conversion-displaced tenants in 2024, compared to just 25 percent under current law. She said 91 percent of rental units in smaller buildings lost to conversions were in low-income neighborhoods including Dorchester, Mattapan, and Roxbury. Relocation benefits of $10,000 per unit for general tenants — and $15,000 for seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income households — would apply to a far broader pool of renters under the proposal, which draws new authority from the state's Affordable Homes Act.