The sudden and extraordinary rent increases at Northgate Heights Apartments imposed by MetLife subsidiaries SSR Realty Advisors and Metric Property Management (SSR/MPM) are unfair and unreasonable. These increases have already caused substantial hardship to fixed, low and moderate income individuals and families, including forcing them from their homes of many years on short notice and the destruction of their vibrant, law-abiding and innocent community.

Government officials of the City of Waltham, the State of Massachusetts, a Massachusetts Senator and members of the congressional delegation have acknowledged the unreasonable nature of these precipitous increases and attempted to intervene on behalf of the tenants. SSR/MPM have ignored these requests.

The remaining tenants have organized to resist the increases and to negotiate with SSR/MPM for a fair settlement of their differences. The Northgate Heights Tenants Association (NHTA) has submitted a specific proposal to SSR/MPM to begin a dialogue.

All terms of the current NHTA proposal are negotiable and the tenants' organization welcomes any alternative proposal of SSR/MPM based on the principles of graduated increases and reasonable compensation for relocation expenses based on all costs incurred.

NHTA intends to take all lawful steps necessary to ensure that SSR/MPM and their owner METLIFE cannot continue to unfairly dislocate Northgate tenants from their homes. We are especially concerned about elderly, handicapped, low-income and other vulnerable tenants.

NHTA understands that SSR/MPM and METLIFE rely on their reputations for fair dealing, decency and citizenship to solicit and sustain business with the general public. NHTA believes that publicizing the plain truth about what SSR/MPM and METLIFE have done at Northgate will substantially enlighten their existing and potential customers, investors and policy holders.

SSR/MPM has advised several NHTA tenants that it would like to make more fair arrangements, but that it cannot do so because such arrangements would "violate the Fair Housing Act" by discriminating against the other tenants. This false, cynical and transparent excuse will be the first theme of the NHTA's new public relations campaign to publish the truth about SSR/MPM and METLIFE.

Despite the unfair and unreasonable rent increases, threats of eviction and several unlawful acts committed by SSR/MPM, NHTA intends to offer the opportunity to begin a reasoned dialogue based on mutual respect and compromise. Such a dialogue must be conducted in an appropriate atmosphere free of threats. Therefore, NHTA has requested a moratorium on all legal action (eviction actions especially), including legal notices of any description, by SSR/MPM and METLIFE while negotiations in good faith are in progress. At this time SSR/MPM and METLIFE still refuse to grant such a request.