CCO 2025 Proposed Changes — File 25-1237

CITY OF SOMERVILLE ORDINANCE NO. 2025- IN CITY COUNCIL: ________, 2025 Be it ordained by the City Council, in session assembled, that sections 7-64, 7-65, and 7-68 of the code of ordinances of the City of Somerville are amended as follows by deleting the struckthrough text and adding the underlined text. Sec. 7-64. – Condominium conversion procedures. (a) Notice of intent to convert. (1) Vacant units or owner-occupied units. If an owner has an intent to convert an unoccupied or owner- occupied housing accommodation to the condominium or cooperative form of ownership, the owner shall give onetwo-years advance notice to the condominium review board (“review board”) on a form provided by the review board. This onetwo-year notice period shall begin from the date the review board grants a conditional/preliminary permit. This onetwo-year waiting period requirement shall not apply under the following circumstances: (A) Where the unit had been previously occupied by the owner, or a non-tent paying tenant or occupant that has knowingly and voluntarily signed a waiver of their rights, for the 12 months immediately preceding the unit becoming vacant; (B) Where the unit is presently occupied by the owner, or a non-rent paying tenant or occupant that has knowingly and voluntarily signed a waiver of their rights, and has been for at least the 12 months immediately preceding the intent to convert; (C) Where the unit is deed-restricted for affordability in perpetuity; or (D) Where the owner is selling the unit to a family member as provided for under section 7-64(d)(2). (e) Relocation payments. An owner shall pay to a tenant who is entitled to receive notice of the owner's intent to convert, and who does not purchase the unit which such tenant occupies or another unit in the same housing accommodation and who relocates within the notice period or such longer period allowed for access to public or subsidized housing as set forth in this section below, a relocation payment which will be adjusted annually based on the consumer price index. The relocation amounts, as of this ordinance’s effective date, from which subsequent adjustments shall be made, is $180,000 for elderly, disabled, or low/moderate income tenants and $146,000 for all other tenants. Relocation payments are per unit, except if notice is not provided as outlined in section 7-64(b)(2). In that case an additional relocation payment shall be paid to those tenants. This dollar amount shall be adjusted annually in February of each year, by an amount equal to the increase in the consumer price index for all urban consumers (as published by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics) during the immediately preceding calendar year. Adjusted fees shall be publicly posted. If a tenant vacates the premises pursuant to a notice under this ordinance without having paid all rent due, the owner may subtract any sums owed from the required payment of moving expenses. In the event an elderly, disabled, low or moderate income tenant is seeking public or subsidized housing and requires a judgment for possession to be issued in order to obtain emergency status or other preference/priority necessary to access such housing or housing subsidy program on an expedited basis, such tenant shall continue to be entitled to the relocation benefit whether or not the tenant has vacated by the end of the notice period, so long as the tenant vacates the unit within 90 days of any trial date set forth in a summary process complaint filed against the tenant, or such longer time period as agreed upon by the parties.

Relocation benefits shall be paid to the tenant within ten days after the date on which the tenant vacates the unit with the following exception: in recognition of the fact that many relocation costs must be paid in whole or in part before a tenant actually moves out, the owner shall, upon request of the tenant, make payments, up to the amount authorized by this section, directly to a moving company, realtor, storage facility, or successor landlord (upon receipt of a signed lease, tenancy at will agreement, or letter signed by the prospective landlord indicating that he/she has agreed to rent a particular unit to the tenant as of a date certain with a copy of proof of ownership), prior to the date on which they vacate the premises. Sec. 7-65. – Permitting process. (d) Conversion permit expiration. (3) A final conversion permit shall not lapse in the following circumstances: (A) When a unit is excluded from the onetwo-year notice period and the unit continues to be occupied by an owner, or a non-rent paying tenant or occupant, as their primary place of residence. Sec. 7-68. – Effective date. This ordinance shall take effect on July 31, 2019. The amendments to Section 7-64(a)(1), Section 7-64(e), and Section 7-65(d)(3)(A), increasing notice periods and relocation payment amounts, shall be effective as of October 1, 2025.