For Owners of Multi-Family Properties

The Housing Division has several resources for owners of multi-family properties.

Landlord/Tenant Issues

Mediation Services is a professional mediation program of Just A Start Corporation that provides assistance for tenants, landlords, property managers, lawyers, housing or human services professionals seeking to prevent or resolve housing or property disputes. The City provides support for MFR so that this resource is available to assist both tenants and landlords in resolving housing disputes including code violations, repairs, withholding of rent, unpaid rent, lease violations, evictions and other housing disputes.

For more information about this service, please click here for the Mediation Services Web site or contact Elizabeth Winston at 617/918-7518, or elizabethwinston@justastart.org.

Lead Paint

Lead paint in older residential units poses a health risk which is most serious for young children. Owners of multi-family properties have a legal obligation to address lead paint hazards in their property. For information about the requirements of the lead paint law for your multi-family property, please visit Lead Paint Information and Resources.

If you received a loan through the City's LeadSafe Cambridge program and have a question about that specific loan, please email housing@cambridgema.gov.

Fair Housing

Owners of multi-family rental property are required to comply with federal and state fair housing laws as well as the City's Fair Housing Ordinance, all of which prohibit discrimination in making available and managing housing. 

Multi-Family Property Acquisition

Multi-family properties have historically been an important component of affordable housing in the city. Many multi-family properties continue to provide affordable housing in an informal and unregulated manner. In recent years this stock of housing has been depleted as many buildings have been converted to condominiums that are not affordable to many residents. The Housing Division works with local non-profit organizations to purchase available multi-family properties throughout Cambridge for conversion to affordable housing. These efforts have been successful in maintaining the affordability of many units that might otherwise have been converted to condominiums, and ensuring that these units will be affordable to income-eligible residents for years to come.

If you have a multi-family property you are interested in selling, contact Cassie Arnaud, Housing Planner, at 617/349-4617 or carnaud@cambridgema.gov.