Senate Applauds Housing Progress on Affordable Homes Act Anniversary

Landmark Law Has Increased Housing Opportunities Across Massachusetts as Senate Continues Fight for Affordability

(BOSTON—8/6/2026) Two years after the Legislature passed the landmark Affordable Homes Act, the law continues to deliver measurable progress toward increasing housing production, lowering barriers to building, and helping more Massachusetts residents find homes they can afford.

Signed into law on August 6, 2024, the Affordable Homes Act represented the largest housing investment in Massachusetts history, pairing more than $5 billion in housing authorizations with sweeping policy reforms designed to increase the Commonwealth's housing supply, preserve affordable homes, and make housing more accessible for residents across the state.

“We have made real progress in addressing our housing crisis because of the Affordable Homes Act,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “We invested in building more homes, we cut red tape, and we strengthened protections for renters and homeowners. This session, we built on that progress with innovative solutions, from shifting brokers’ fees away from renters, to eliminating the sales tax on building materials for certain housing construction. There is more work to do, and the Senate will continue pursuing policies that lower housing costs and expand housing opportunities across Massachusetts.”

“As a millennial, I’ve seen firsthand how Massachusetts’ dire housing shortage is harming our families, our workforce and our future prosperity,” said Chair of the Joint Committee on Housing Senator Julian Cyr. “The Affordable Homes Act demonstrates what we can accomplish with bold investments and new approaches to this persistent but solvable problem. Because of the Affordable Homes Act, we’re finally putting a real dent in a decades-in-the-making housing crisis with a sweeping array of tools and resources to construct and preserve housing across the Commonwealth. We’ve only seen the beginning of what this landmark legislation will deliver in the coming years. I’m also heartened that we’ve passed significant housing provisions in this legislative session, and I look forward to building on this momentum to make Massachusetts a place where everyone can call home.”

“Two years later, our work towards more affordable, accessible housing continues,” said Senator Lydia Edwards (D-East Boston), former Chair of the Joint Committee on Housing. “We’ve made meaningful progress in breaking down barriers to housing and expanding opportunities for residents across the Commonwealth. That progress is especially evident in our eviction sealing efforts, with more than 8,220 petitions filed since the provision took effect in May 2025—giving thousands of people a fairer chance to secure stable housing and rebuild their lives. To every advocate, partner, colleague, and leader who helped make the Affordable Homes Act a reality: thank you. As I said two years ago, we are mission aligned and mission focused.”

“The high cost of housing makes it hard for people to stay in Massachusetts,” said Senate President Pro Tempore William N. Brownsberger, Senate Chair of the conference committee that reached agreement on the legislation. “The Affordable Homes Act has marked a big step forward and has already begun helping to control housing costs over the short and long run.”

Housing Stock

Eviction Sealing

A provision that has already transformed the trajectory of over eight thousand residents’ lives, the legislation granted the right to petition courts to seal certain eviction records. Before the law passed, an eviction, even if decades ago, would lock residents out of housing and opportunity.

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Momentum Fund: Catalyzing Middle Income Housing

Protecting Homebuyers’ Inspection Rights

The bill made Massachusetts a national leader in buyer protections by protecting a homebuyers’ right to a home inspection and prohibiting sellers or their agents from selling a home on the condition that a buyer waive an inspection. The policy also prevents a seller from accepting an offer if the seller is informed in advance that the buyer intends to waive their right to an inspection.

The Senate has continued to build on that progress during the 2025–2026 legislative session, approving legislation that would allow duplexes by right in residential districts statewide, shifting brokers’ fees away from renters, eliminating the sales tax on building materials for certain housing construction projects, creating new opportunities to convert underutilized commercial properties into housing, passing major permitting reforms so shovels get in the ground faster, requiring more timely review processes for housing construction projects, and providing incentives to communities building housing.

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