Pine Valley Realtors in Easthampton. CAROL LOLLIS / Staff Photo
Community pushback leads to rent rollback in Easthampton
Source: Daily Hampshire Gazette | By Sam Ferland | February 15, 2026
EASTHAMPTON — After two Pine Valley Realty tenants received letters informing them of $300 and $350 rent increases for their one-bedroom apartments, they refused to pay. By challenging the eviction, the tenants saw their efforts pay off as their landlord decided to settle.
Mona Shadi and Roland Decaires received letters in August notifying them of the rent increases as part of their new leases that would start in October — Shadi’s rent would have gone from $900 to $1,200, and Decaires’ from $725 to $1,075.
The two tenants live in the same 10-unit Pine Valley apartment complex on Northampton Street in Easthampton. Shadi and Decaires refused to sign the new leases, then challenged the subsequent eviction notices in court as no-fault. Because the landlord settled, the case did not go to trial.
The settlement, negotiated over two mediation sessions, calls for smaller rent increases of $45 and $50, respectively, for Shadi and Decaires, along with monetary damages and the opportunity for other Pine Valley tenants to engage in collective bargaining.
“We don’t want to squat, we don’t want a free lunch,” Shadi said about the mediation sessions. “We wanted a sustainable rent raise to let us stay in our home.”
Shadi said collective bargaining was a crucial aspect for her to negotiate into the settlement. Because of that, another negotiation session will take place in March to discuss options for other Pine Valley tenants.
Easthampton-based Pine Valley Realty owns about 230 residential units across 13 different complexes and several single-family homes. Pine Valley Office Manager Donna Gawle said the rolled-back increases will negatively impact the local landlord.
Read more at the Daily Hampshire Gazette
