(BOSTONā8/6/2026) Two years after the Legislature passed the landmark Affordable Homes Act, the law continues to deliver measurable progress toward increasing housing production, lowering barriers to building, and helping more Massachusetts residents find homes they can afford.
Signed into law on August 6, 2024, the Affordable Homes Act represented the largest housing investment in Massachusetts history, pairing more than $5 billion in housing authorizations with sweeping policy reforms designed to increase the Commonwealth’s housing supply, preserve affordable homes, and make housing more accessible for residents across the state.
āThe Affordable Homes Act is proof that when we treat housing like the urgent, statewide challenge it is, we can deliver real results for Massachusetts families. In just two years, this law has helped put thousands of new homes on the ground, expanded options like ADUs, and strengthened protections for buyers and renters alike,” said Senator John C. Velis (D-Westfield). Iām committed to continuing the push for policies that make housing more affordable, more accessible, and more reflective of the needs of every community across our Commonwealth, especially here in Western Mass.”
āWe have made real progress in addressing our housing crisis because of the Affordable Homes Act,ā said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). āWe invested in building more homes, we cut red tape, and we strengthened protections for renters and homeowners. This session, we built on that progress with innovative solutions, from shifting brokersā fees away from renters, to eliminating the sales tax on building materials for certain housing construction. There is more work to do, and the Senate will continue pursuing policies that lower housing costs and expand housing opportunities across Massachusetts.ā
āAs a millennial, Iāve seen firsthand how Massachusettsā dire housing shortage is harming our families, our workforce and our future prosperity,ā said Chair of the Joint Committee on Housing Senator Julian Cyr. āThe Affordable Homes Act demonstrates what we can accomplish with bold investments and new approaches to this persistent but solvable problem. Because of the Affordable Homes Act, weāre finally putting a real dent in a decades-in-the-making housing crisis with a sweeping array of tools and resources to construct and preserve housing across the Commonwealth. Weāve only seen the beginning of what this landmark legislation will deliver in the coming years. Iām also heartened that weāve passed significant housing provisions in this legislative session, and I look forward to building on this momentum to make Massachusetts a place where everyone can call home.ā
Housing Stock
In 2025, Massachusetts added more than 35,000 homes across the state, marking major progress toward building more housing and driving down costs.
ADUs
As of February 2026, over 1,200 Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) had been approved because of the legislation. The Affordable Homes Act allowed ADUs to be built by right in communities everywhere in Massachusetts.
Momentum Fund: Catalyzing Middle Income Housing
The legislation created the Momentum Fund, a first-in-the-nation state revolving fund to support mixed-income housing production. Using $50 million in public equity funding, the financing has already supported the development of 627 mixed-income rental homes, including 140 affordable homes across the state, as of July 2026.
Protecting Homebuyersā Inspection Rights
The bill made Massachusetts a national leader in buyer protections by protecting a homebuyersā right to a home inspection and prohibiting sellers or their agents from selling a home on the condition that a buyer waive an inspection. The policy also prevents a seller from accepting an offer if the seller is informed in advance that the buyer intends to waive their right to an inspection.
The Senate has continued to build on that progress during the 2025ā2026 legislative session, approving legislation that would allow duplexes by right in residential districts statewide, shifting brokersā fees away from renters, eliminating the sales tax on building materials for certain housing construction projects, creating new opportunities to convert underutilized commercial properties into housing, passing major permitting reforms so shovels get in the ground faster, requiring more timely review processes for housing construction projects, and providing incentives to communities building housing.
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