Nayor v. Rent Board of Brookline

The town of Brookline accepted St. 1953, c. 434, entitled “An Act relative to rent control,” an emergency law permitting local rent control in succession to that of the United States (§ 14). The vote of acceptance by a town meeting was required to “include a declaration that a substantial shortage of rental housing accommodations exists in such . . . town and that the control of rents therein is necessary in the public interest” (§ 12).

This is a complaint in a District Court brought under § 6 (a) by a tenant of an apartment, which was “controlled housing accommodations” (§ 2 [b]), against the…