Economists agree that rent control hurts cities as much as dentists agree that sugared gum hurts teeth.[1] The main problem with rent control is what it incenti

Economists agree that rent control hurts cities as much as dentists agree that sugared gum hurts teeth.[1] The main problem with rent control is what it incentivizes. Landlords have less incentive to maintain or improve their properties and more incentive to get tenants out so they can rent to new tenants at market rates. From CityLab's summary of the economic analysis of SF's rent control law:[2] > As a result of these landlord reactions, rent-controlled buildings saw a 15 percent decline in the number of renter residents, and a 25 percent decline in those living in the rent-controlled units, compared to 1994 levels. In other words, rent control had a counterproductive effect. Fewer residents mean less supply of housing, meaning higher prices overall. Rent control effectively subsidizes current tenants with money from future tenants. 1. https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-01-18/yup-rent-control-does-more-harm-than-good https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-01-18/yup-rent-... 2. https://www.citylab.com/equity/2018/01/rent-control-a-reckoning/551168/ https://www.citylab.com/equity/2018/01/rent-control-a-reckon...