Morris said the city has no way of determining who is protected unless tenants themselves come in with their tax forms. "It's only in response to tenants coming forward that we'll be able to determine who's protected and who isn't," the director said.

Long preoccupied by eviction and removal-permit cases, the bulk of the board's work will now focus on certifying the few tenants protected under the new act. "We are not in the business of handling evictions any longer, that's clear," Morris said.

The board will also serve as a housing-assistance center, according to Mayor Kenneth E. Reeves '72. Reeves said the board would help tenants relocate and find other affordable housing opportunities.

As for the board itself, it will be in existence for two more years. Then the rent control boards of Cambridge, Boston and Brookline will be abolished. "All controls expire December 31, 1996," Morris said. "Everything."

Harvard Impact

The compromise is certain to affect the hundreds of graduate students in Cambridge, most from Harvard and MIT., who no longer qualify for rent control.

Some Harvard graduate students live in privately-owned rent-control units, while others lived in University-owned controlled units, according to Patricia A. O'Brien, housing coordinator for the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

"We don't know exactly how many students are in rent control, but, depending on what their landlord decides to do, they'll probably need to reconsider their situation," O'Brien said.

Harvard Real Estate Inc. (HRE), a University subsidiary, owns 702 rent-controlled units and 1615 other housing units in Cambridge, according to Susan K. Keller, vice president for residential real estate.

"We're very happy hearing what just transpired in the legislature," Keller said yesterday. "Our policy mirrored what the state legislature tried to do, which is protect the needy."

HRE had already sent a letter to all its tenants on October 13, promising not to raise rents until July 1. Keller said the company stands by its promise.

Keller said the company did not know exactly how many of its tenants are Harvard graduate students, but estimated the figure to be "around 15 percent."

The vice president said she was unsure how many Harvard tenants qualify under the income-eligibility guidelines. "I don't have the demographics of income guidelines for our tenant population," Keller said. "We have a lot of research to do."

Keller said it is "hard to determine" if HRE would gain financially from rent increases starting July 1.

"I do not foresee a huge amount of increase in July," she added.