Portland Rent Board approves rent increases, finds applications complete

The Portland Rent Board approved a complex rent increase for 8 Massachusetts Avenue after recalculating capital improvements and banked rent. The board also found applications for 72 and 76 Williams Street and 963 Washington Avenue complete, scheduling them for future public hearings. Additionally, the board re-elected Matthew Wax as chair and approved findings of fact for 305 Deering Street and 11 Smith Street.

Key points

• The board approved a rent increase for 8 Massachusetts Avenue, setting new rents at $417.31 for Unit 1, $302.92 for Unit 2, and $928.23 for Unit 3, after correcting calculations for 2025 capital improvements.
• Applications for 72 Williams Street and 76 Williams Street were found complete and scheduled for public hearing at the next meeting.
• The application for 963 Washington Avenue was found complete with an optional request for additional rental history to support a base year adjustment.
• Matthew Wax was re-elected as Rent Board chair, while the election of a vice chair was tabled until a full board is present.
• The board approved findings of fact and conclusions of law for 305 Deering Street and 11 Smith Street, with one minor wording change made to the 11 Smith Street document.

Next steps

• The board will schedule public hearings for the Williams Street and Washington Avenue applications at the next meeting.
• The applicant for 963 Washington Avenue was asked to provide additional rental history or tax returns by June 10 to support the base year adjustment.
• The election of a vice chair will be revisited at the next meeting with a full complement of board members.

Read the full transcript