After sustained pressure from the Forbes Building Tenants Association (FBTA) with support from the Mass Alliance of HUD Tenants, All City Management (ACM) has notified 75 former 13A "legacy" tenants whose leases expired December 31, of a one-year Rent Freeze!  

These are all lower income tenants who received a six-month lease in May 2022, after state 13A rent restrictions expired.  Tenants were facing up to $1,200 per month rent increases until the freeze was announced.  While the short-term freeze provides much appreciated breathing room, there is still work to be done to save the Forbes as affordable housing for the long term.   

The FBTA has kept the drum beat steady through rallies, in the press and at the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council to save their homes, in the face of numerous broken promises and missed deadlines from All City Management.  But we know the pressure is working!  In addition to the rent freeze, ACM's team has now publicly committed to reach a deal that will preserve all 147 apartments as affordable housing for mostly senior and handicapped tenants.  

However, ACM has yet to submit a workable, written proposal to the City and State, and missed a key deadline in October to apply for funds.  Reportedly, ACM is requesting $40 million more in public subsidies than State guidelines allow. Stay tuned! 

The FBTA and Mass Alliance of HUD Tenants are working closely with newly elected Representative, Samantha Montaño, to rengage the City and the State to encourage a timely and favorable preservation deal, and to pursue the passage of a Boston Home Rule Petition that would give the City the authority to require building owners like ACM to accept preservation deals. The FBTA also recently won the approval from the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council to send a letter in support of the FBTA affordability goals to City and State officials.

The Forbes Building Tenant Association continues to advocate in the community and with the legislature to win long-term affordability of the building.

Please direct your questions to the Mass Alliance of HUD Tenants at: 617-522-5133 or by email at: [email protected]