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Residents urge rent stabilization and decry steep rent increases during Lynn public comment
Summary
During the council's public-comment period residents described sharp rent increases and eviction threats, asking the city to support state-level rent‑stabilization measures and to advocate for tenants facing large hikes.
Two residents used the council’s public-comment period on May 26 to press city officials about rising rents and tenant hardships.
Alma Hernandez, a Lynn resident, said landlords raise rents yearly while leaving apartments in poor condition, and asked the council to support rent-control measures. “They raise the rent on us every year...we're living in bad conditions and it's not fair,” she said.
Isaac Simon Hodes described a tenant facing a $950 rent increase and a subsequent eviction notice after declining an unaffordable raise. Hodes urged the council to publicly support state-level rent stabilization and to back local advocacy for tenants.
Councilors did not take immediate action during the public-comment segment; speakers asked that council members publicly endorse policies and press the state legislature for rent-stabilization tools. The testimony adds to a record of tenant complaints raised during recent meetings and provides councilors with constituent examples should they choose to craft a formal city statement or advocacy letter.
