Protesters call out Seacoast landlords as apartment rent surges: 'People will fight back'

NEWMARKET — Protesters stood in solidarity against rent hikes Saturday, sending a message to landlords and making a public display of tensions over the rising cost of housing.

Sean Hogan was a tenant at 5 Chapel St. in Newmarket. He said his rent increased from $785 to $1,785 this year. While he said he understands the rent was overdue for an increase with the market and inflation being as high as it is, he feels the increase doesn't quite align with the quality of the units. He and his wife moved out and plan to relocate to New Jersey.

“I really did not want to go, but the quality of the housing versus the price didn’t make sense anymore,” Hogan said. “We hope to create a better way to lobby for representation and awareness to strike the balance of power that the landlords have had over tenants. We hope to organize tenants and educate them about legislation that would either help or hurt them.”

Many protesters held signs reading “Honk if you hate rent hikes” and “Keep our neighbors here.”

Some had experienced rent hikes first hand, others stood beside their friends and neighbors calling for more to be done to prevent landlords from drastic price hikes that leave renters scrambling to either leave or figure out how to afford it.

The statewide median cost of a two-bedroom rental unit is $1,584. In Rockingham County, the median price is more than $1,700, according to the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority's 2022 Residential Rental Cost Survey Report, released this summer.

Low supply is one factor driving prices up. The state's vacancy rate is 0.5%, according to the report.

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When the report was released, Finance Authority CEO and Executive Director Rob Dapice said the pricing today is unaffordable. He said a renter would need to earn 131% of the state's estimated median income to afford a two-bedroom apartment, meaning more than $63,000 per year.

Former Newmarket resident Ciara Wright, who attended Saturday's protest, said she moved to Berwick, Maine, because she knew her rent would increase.

“With the rental market and housing market skyrocketing and housing being so scarce in New Hampshire already, it’s a really scary time for a lot of people,” she said. “They shouldn’t have to worry about how to afford a higher rent, and they deserve someone to be advocating for their rights as tenants.”

Melissa Belair, who is disabled, lives in a senior apartment complex in Newmarket. She said she has faced tough decisions financially. Even an increase of a few hundred dollars would make her current place unaffordable. Belair said that she wants to help be the voice for those who want to demand change, but can’t do it alone.

“My message to landlords would be: people will fight back,” she said. “When you push upping rent too hard, too fast, people will fight back. These a few people are here today but there's a lot of people behind them. Some can’t be here physically or they’re too afraid to.”

Landlord: Price hikes are about economics

Ben Stebbins, managing partner of Condor Capital, was one of the landlords targeted by protesters after recently buying the building at 5 Chapel St., where Hogan lived.

Stebbins said he notified tenants the rent would increase due to costly renovations, like replacing a boiler and sprinkler system, which were needed to keep the building to code. Condor Capital owns multiple rental properties across Newmarket, Portsmouth and the Tri-Cities, according to Stebbins. He said 38% of his portfolio are units that accept Housing Choice Vouchers, a federal program formerly known as Section 8 that helps people with low incomes pay rent.

“Rent increases are not a Newmarket issue, it's not a Rockingham [County] issue, it's not even a state issue — it's a national issue,” Stebbins said after learning about the protest. “The economics of supply and demand drive it. If supply stays the same and demand continues to increase, prices will go up. The previous landlords owned it at a fraction of the price, allowing them to keep rent lower with lower overhead costs. When we buy a property that needs serious investments, that’s what we’ve got to do. We’ve already invested tens of thousands in that building.”

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Stebbins denied claims he plans to renovate and displace tenants. His company owns eight properties in Newmarket, comprising 61 units, he said, and the company accepts Housing Choice Vouchers for 21 of them.

“I still live in the community and give back,” Stebbins said. “I have a vested interest in this community. If I wanted to, I could sell this whole portfolio in Newmarket tomorrow to an out-of-state investor, but the first thing they’d do is raise rent to force the voucher holders out. Tenants are very fortunate that their rent has been so low for so long, but unfortunately, and while nobody likes the increased rents, that previous owner sold it. It's just economics and business.”

Politicians get involved, but bills to help renters stalled in 2022

A few of Stebbins’ tenants notified Newmarket state Rep. Ellen Read about their plight.

“Newmarket, like many communities, has been suffering at the hands of rising rent,” Read said. “The average rent in Newmarket has doubled in recent years. Towns and cities are seeing this happen too. We are banding together to help our neighbors facing this because they deserve to afford to live here.”

There is no law in New Hampshire limiting the amount of a rent increase a landlord can request. Hogan said that until something is done to address these issues through policy, these kinds of rent hike stories will continue to happen.

A pair of bills Democrats in New Hampshire proposed in 2022 seeking to address rent increases both stalled in the legislature.

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House Bill 1200 sought to require at least 45 days of notice before a rent increase in the state (it is currently 30 days, less than surrounding states). This bill was tabled.

Senate Bill 217 sought to prevent tenants from being evicted on short notice by landlords who buy a property with the goal to renovate and charge higher rent. The bill would have required 90 days notice instead of the typical 30 days. This bill, sponsored by Democratic state Sens. Rebecca Perkins Kwoka of Portsmouth (whose district includes Newmarket) and David Watters of Dover, passed the Senate, but was found inexpedient to legislate in the House.

Aeowyn Kendall, of Newmarket, said she hasn’t experienced a rent hike, but was there to stand by those who have.

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“Rent hikes are unfair, and it's important to support your community members who may or may be taken advantage of or exploited by companies and landlords,” Kendall said. “Together, we're stronger.”

Robin Vogt, who is running for state representative in Portsmouth and Newington, said he attended Saturday's protest to support the movement to fight back against rent hikes.

“Things like affordable housing, tenant rights and the right to negotiate when your lease is up, hold landlords accountable for acts,” Vogt said.

“Something has to be done on a state level, so that we don't have to keep coming out here as activists, as progressives, and as community members to say ‘enough is enough.' Other cities and towns will see what’s happening here in Newmarket.”

This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Seacoast apartment tenants protest landlords for raising rent