2026-09-10 · Massachusetts · Legislation · Pending — not yet law

Pending, barely. A bill that would let a single co-owner force a jointly owned two-unit building into condominium form got further than any other Massachusetts condominium bill this session — and it got there after the deadline that would have let it pass.

H.5314, An Act providing for condominium conversion of co-owned two-unit buildings, was filed by Representative Amy Mah Sangiolo by petition of Peter F. Harrington on 17 February 2026, reported favorably by the Joint Committee on Housing in August 2026, and referred to House Steering, Policy and Scheduling on 17 August 2026.¹

That referral came 17 days after formal sessions ended on 31 July 2026. The bill can now advance only in informal session, where a single objection blocks it.

What it would do

The bill adds a new section 15A to M.G.L. c. 183A and amends c. 241 §4, the partition statute.²

• A tenant in common holding an undivided interest in a two-unit building could petition the Land Court for partition “by converting the building into 2 condominium units.”
• Available only where no binding agreement among all co-owners already governs partition or conversion.
• On petition, the court “shall order the partition of the property into condominium form of ownership” — mandatory language, not discretionary.
• The court may impose reasonable conditions covering easements, drainage, maintenance and allocation of costs between the parties.
• The owners must then record a master deed following the procedures in c. 183A §16.

1. H.5314, An Act providing for condominium conversion of co-owned two-unit buildings — bill page and history ↩
2. H.5314 bill text, Massachusetts General Court ↩
3. Chapter 150 of the Acts of 2024, section 57 (Condominium Conversion Act amendment) ↩