Meet the RCAP Solutions Housing Experts
Part 1: Webinar for Landlords & Property Owners
April 1, 2021 | 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Register Here
This spring, RCAP Solutions will be hosting a 3-part Zoom webinar series for tenants, homeowners, landlords, and all other interested parties. Attendees will hear from the experts about our robust housing programs including; rental assistance, homelessness prevention, community development, and much more. Participants will have the ability to ask questions and the presentations will be available afterwards on our YouTube channel. There is no cost to attend.
The first webinar, which will provide information for landlords and property owners, will take place on Thursday, April 1, 2021 from 6:00 to 7:00 PM.
Topics will include:
- Rental Assistance: Learn about voucher programs that can support you and your tenants. These programs, designed with both parties in mind, pay subsidies directly to the landlord.
- Housing Counseling & Financial Services: We'll be discussing RAFT (Residential Assistance for Families in Transition), Housing Search, our Home Modification Loan Program, and how these programs can be beneficial to landlords.
- Landlord/Tenant Mediation: Information about landlord-tenant laws, eviction information, and more. If you have questions about your rights and responsibilities as a landlord, we're here to help.
Any questions can be emailed to adrozd@rcapsolutions.org.
Neal Set to Tour Home Afflicted with Crumbling Foundation Issue
BOSTON (March 16, 2021) - Congressman Richard Neal (D-MA) will join State Senator Anne Gobi (D-Spencer) and State Representative Brian Ashe (D-Longmeadow) on Tuesday, April 6th in Wales for a tour of a residential home that is deteriorating due to the presence of pyrrhotite, a rare iron-sulfide mineral, in the concrete foundation. The visit comes in the wake of Senator Gobi filing omnibus legislation aimed at addressing the issue in Massachusetts, where it is estimated that as many as 1500 homes or more may have had their foundations poured with the defective material that causes concrete to slowly deteriorate, expanding over time when exposed to oxygen and water until it inevitably fails.
The bill filed by the Senator, SD. 1688, An Act Relative to Crumbling Concrete Foundations, aims to address a number of the primary concerns raised by the Special Commission last year. These include establishing tax abatements for affected homeowners, requiring the disclosure of foundation repairs for those looking to sell their home, and creating new standards for quarry operators and concrete producers. The pyrrhotite issue has been studied extensively and addressed by the Connecticut legislature, which moved to develop a captive insurance company funded by bonding and a surcharge on homeowners’ insurance policies in order to help the thousands of residents that have been affected. In Massachusetts the full scope of this issue is still unknown.
A reimbursement program remains in place for costs associated with visual and core testing of residential home foundations, having been secured by Senator Gobi in the FY19 budget debate and additional funds added last session. That program allows homeowners to be reimbursed at a rate of 100% for visual testing conducted by a licensed professional engineer up to $400, and a rate of 75% for core sample testing up to $5,000.
For more information on the legislation or upcoming site visit, please contact Senator Gobi’s office by email at Anne.Gobi@MASenate.gov.