In late September 2025, anyone paying attention to the media within a broad radius of Portland, Maine would have noticed substantial coverage of a specific impact of the city’s rent control policy. Newspapers and broadcast outlets were reporting on a study that had just been released, revealing an unintended consequence of the rent control ordinance that Portland had adopted late in 2020: owners of single-family homes and condominiums were paying more in property taxes. The study had been commissioned by the Greater Portland Board of REALTORS®, with support from a Consumer Advocacy Grant from the REALTOR® Party. It was the first step in a campaign to educate the voting public before the issue of rent control returns for the City Council’s consideration in January 2027.
The study, called Evaluating the Impact of Rent Control on Property Tax Burdens in Portland, did exactly that: an independent economic firm hired by the REALTORS® analyzed public tax data and determined that Portland’s 2020 policy capping rents reduced landlords’ income, lowering the assessed value of rental buildings, which in turn reduced the city’s tax revenue. The shortfall, it discovered, is being made-up-for by single-family and condominium owners, to the tune of a 3.3% to 5.7% increase in property tax.
2025 President Aaron Chadbourne, who now serves on the Legislative and Political Advocacy Committee, doesn’t believe this was ever an intended consequence of the city’s rent control referendum. “It’s important to have transparency on who is bearing the tax burden that results from rent control benefits, and that’s what we’re providing. This increase makes it harder for aspiring homeowners to enter the market, and for those on fixed incomes to remain in their homes. At the end of the day, it’s a factor for the City Council to take into account when it reviews Portland’s rent control status, and this report will help them to make decisions that are fair to all.”
In releasing the report, Chadbourne engaged extensively with the press, and Government Affairs Director Sara McKee took it to the City Council; they also hosted a well-attended public event with the study author and an assessor.
Says McKee, “We’re re-framing the rent control conversation in terms of its effects on the community as a whole, not just renters and landlords. The engagement we’ve seen in the comments of the articles in the press indicates that we’re on the right track.” The publicity is also providing a valuable model for surrounding municipalities – including Boston and Providence – that are also keeping a close eye on rent control issues, she notes.
McKee points out that being able to use various REALTOR® Party grants and programs together allows the board to develop powerful strategies. “Early on, we made use of NAR’s polling resources services to determine voters’ understanding of rent control issues. The Consumer Advocacy Grant provided the data that helped us to understand the real impact of rent control policy in Portland. This lays the groundwork for future engagement with the City Council, establishing a fact base that can inform future policy decisions. That gives us a more-informed constituent base we can rally to tell the council, ‘Here’s what single-family homeowners think about this!’”
To learn more about how the Greater Portland Board of REALTORS® is working to protect the rights of property owners and keep housing costs down for all, contact GAD Sara McKee at advocacy@greaterportlandrealtors.com or 207.807.3299; or Aaron Chadbourne of the Legislative and Political Affairs Committee at 207.839.5122.
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