Slade v. Mclaughlin

When, in 1985, the owner of a building containing four apartments knocked through a wall and made other changes to convert two vacant units into one, the plaintiff tenant complained to the rent control board of Cambridge (board). The hearing officer concluded that the owner had removed a rental unit from the rental market without having first obtained a removal permit from the board in accordance with c. 23 of the Code of the City of Cambridge, Ordinance *779926, § 1(c).3 The board did not accept the hearing officer’s recommended conclusion. It concluded instead that, because one of the two…