In September,1998, subsidiaries of METLIFE quietly purchased the Northgate Heights apartment complex in Waltham, Massachusetts, and then proceeded to hike the rents on tenants by 30-50%! To top it off, tenants unable or unwilling to pay these unexpected rent increases were given just 60 days to find another place and move out.

The subsidiaries in question are SSR REALTY ADVISORS (affiliated with Boston's State Street Research) and Metric Property Management ("MPM") . Their actions have forced many retirees living at Northgate to move out of homes they've lived in for years, which is ironic since the complex was purchased for the SSR's Apartment Value Fund, whose goal is to enhance the financial well-being of retired people.

Throughout the past year, letters on our behalf have been sent to SSR/Metric by our U.S. Senators, Congressman, state representatives, and the mayor of Waltham (twice), and there have been two letters of condemnation from the Waltham City Council. NHTA has held public protests, and the local TV and newspapers have covered and publicized the situation. The Tenants Association has made FOUR separate proposals to SSR, but SSR Realty Advisors had rejected all of them. Under the light of a City Council Public Input hearing on the matter, SSR did make minor concessions, in an EXTREMELY inadequate new rental plan. This new rental plan, primarily helped only those residents who would in effect be guaranteed similar -- if not identical -- terms if they brought their individual cases before an eviction court. Furthermore, we believe that their primary reason for this action is merely to prevent additional and extreme public embarrasment to them in the media. Most tenants however, are still facing unreasonable increases.

Since SSR continues to pursue rent policies destructive to our Waltham community, policies that have already forced tenants out of almost 100 apartments, we have begun a Boycott MetLife campaign.

This Web site will document the details of this appalling situation, including:

• a detailed history (click What's New for the latest news),
• copies of the correspondence, so you can see for yourself SSR's unresponsiveness,
• full text (where possible) and descriptions of news coverage,
• political support for the tenants from Waltham's City Council and Mayor, State and Federal Senators and Congressmen, and other elected officials,
• tenant's individual (sometimes eye-opening) experiences, and
• mention of other political actions we've taken.

(For more see our What's New page.)