Waltham Housing Rights Notification Ordinance

Latest Updates:

In December 2023, the Ordinance was voted down with prejudice by the City Council, which means it was defeated and cannot be reintroduced for one year. WATCH is able to reintroduce this Ordinance to the Council in January 2025 and continues to build support for this important information sharing tool for Waltham tenants and home owners.

Hundreds of people attended the Public Input Hearing on June 21, 2023. After an hour of testimony, President McMenimen asked for a count of hands. We were faced with an opposition of 148 people against 75 people that were in favor of the Ordinance. 38 people testified of which 30 testified in favor and 8 against the ordinance.  President McMeniment referred the ordinance to the Ordinances and Rules Committee. On June 26, 2023 the Ordinance was further delayed because one of the councilors, Councilor Dunn, was not present at the meeting. As a result, the ordinance will not be reviewed or considered further until at least August. This decision to table means that the discussion and potential implementation around this ordinance will be delayed until a later date when all councilors can participate in the process.

On June 21st the Waltham City Council held a "special meeting" at the Waltham Government Center, where Waltham residents were going to be able to testify as to why the Housing Rights Notification Ordinance is needed in Waltham.

Como bien se dice: “La información sobre vivienda es el vínculo entre la dignidad de una persona para encontrar ayuda y la capacidad de uno para sobrevivir en nuestra comunidad de Waltham, donde la vivienda es tan difícil de mantener”
Como é bem dito: “A informação sobre moradia é o elo entre a dignidade de alguém para encontrar ajuda e a capacidade de sobreviver em nossa comunidade de Waltham, onde a moradia é tão difícil de manter”.
俗话说：“住房信息是一个人是否值得寻求帮助与一个人在住房难以维持的沃尔瑟姆社区生存的能力之间的联系。
”Súhuà shuō:“Zhùfáng xìnxī shì yīgè rén shìfǒu zhídé xúnqiú bāngzhù yǔ yīgè rén zài zhùfáng nányǐ wéichí de wò ēr sè mǔ shèqū shēngcún de nénglì zhī jiān de liánxì.”

Read the letter to City Councillors from our
Community Organizer Genoveva 

On Monday, April 3, 2023,  Tenant Action Group (TAG) members attended the City Council Meeting to show support for the Notification Ordinance, which was previously introduced as a resolution over a year ago. The resolution had been tabled for months but due to the presence of families and tenants on Monday, City Councillors finally addressed the status of the legislation.

What are we asking for?

Waltham tenants are working for a local Housing Rights Notification Ordinance modeled after the ordinances passed in Somerville, Cambridge, and Boston.

We collectively call Waltham leaders to enact laws that help tenants facing eviction.

We are asking the Waltham City Council to pass this Ordinance that will make it easier for Waltham tenants to access vital information to prevent homelessness. This information includes resources in the community that provide rental assistance and legal advocacy and the names of other groups that can help during an eviction crisis. See the Example of the Resources + Info for Tenants/Housing Rights Notification Ordinance

We ask that the Housing Rights Notification Ordinance be passed with the requirement that landlords/homeowners include information about tenant resources and programs at the beginning of a new lease and if an eviction order has to be filed.

Read the ordinance here

What you can do:

1) Sign the Petition

Support the efforts behind the Waltham Housing Rights Notification Ordinance by signing the petition.

2) Encourage your Landlord to sign the petition to support the ordinance:

Waltham Landlords: Sign the landlord endorsement here or print and sign the landlord paper version of the endorsement form 

Print and send to Genoveva at 24 Crescent Street Suite 201 Waltham, MA 02453

3) Encourage your local Waltham nonprofits/organizations to support the ordinance.

Waltham nonprofits/organization: Sign the organizational endorsement form here

As of today, we have received over 500 signatures of support for this ordinance. The following organizations have endorsed the ordinance:

  • Community Day Center
  • More Than Words
  • REACH
  • Chaplains on the Way
  • Waltham Leadership Group
  • Africano Waltham
  • TRII
  • Waltham Gender Justice
  • Waltham Partnership for Youth
  • Parent Child Plus Program

4) Print this fact sheet and tell your family and friends about it! 

WATCH held a forum live on Youtube with guest speakers: Mark Alston-Follansbee, Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS) Katie Forde, Office of Housing Stability, Department of Neighborhood Development, Boston to learn more information on how their municipalities passed ordinances.

Ley de notificación de derechos e información para los residentes de Waltham - Firma la petición

Hacemos un llamado a nuestros oficiales públicos para que aprueben políticas que proporcionen a los residentes que enfrentan desalojos información sobre los recursos que existen en la comunidad para la ayuda con pago de vivienda y defensa legal.

Pedimos al Ayuntamiento de Waltham que los propietarios incluyan una copia de recursos y programas al momento de entregar una carta de desalojo.

Muestre su apoyo firmando la petición: https://www.change.org/TenantEvictionHelpforWaltham