Representative Proposes Excise, Reporting and Down‑Payment Trust to Curb Investor Purchases of Small Homes

Representative Hawkins testified about a bill intended to limit large investor accumulation of small residential properties and to create a housing down‑payment trust. Hawkins said the bill is designed to target large investors who purchase single‑family and 1–4 unit residences and remove those homes from the owner‑occupied market, thereby reducing supply and increasing prices. "The problem at hand is the large investors who are gobbling up single family houses and taking them off the market," Hawkins said.

The representative described the bill’s primary elements: levying an excise tax on taxpayers who own more than a statutorily defined number of small residential properties, establishing a housing down‑payment trust administered by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities in coordination with the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency and the Department of Revenue, and requiring regular reporting by the commissioner on deposits and grants from the trust. The bill also includes a certification process tied to purchasers of applicable small properties.

Hawkins said the measure was drafted with guidance from House counsel to ensure compliance with Massachusetts General Laws. She noted the practical difficulty of identifying ultimate investors because purchases are often conducted through LLCs; she said ownership filings for LLCs list investors and that the information is available but requires additional effort to collect.

No committee votes or formal directions were recorded in the hearing transcript; the testimony served as an introduction to the bill’s objectives and reporting requirements.