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This was one of the key points in the episode: rent control changes this. It's not about the landlords, it's about the tenants. If you've rented a rent-control

This was one of the key points in the episode: rent control changes this. It's not about the landlords, it's about the tenants. If you've rented a rent-controlled apartment for a long time, even if it's huge (because you rented it when you had a large family), then it is not cripplingly expensive to hold on to it when your needs change. It is cheaper, in fact, for you to hold on to your 6 bedroom apartment, though you use just one room, than it would be to swap it for a one bedroom apartment because you'd lose the rent control price. (See the example of Nat Sherman.)

njepa 8y ago
In markets that rely on rent control as a mechanism for affordable housing, you can usually exchange rent controlled units.
Plasmoid2000ad 8y ago
Rent control doesn't have to work this way, for example right now in Ireland. Rent control is associated with the Unit, not with the tenant. If you move to another rent controlled Unit, there's very limited situations where the landlord can increase the rent beyond the limits. A big problem is probably once you've implemented rent control, changing the system later becomes increasingly more difficult the longer it's been in place... as someone is always going to lose out.
- gnicholas 8y ago
  > Rent control is associated with the Unit, not with the tenant. If you move to another rent controlled Unit, there's very limited situations where the landlord can increase the rent beyond the limits. In a city with rent controls, however, finding another unit that is the right size and has rent control is not easy (because everyone is hanging onto their units — and in some cases illegally subletting them). This becomes a self-perpetuating cycle, where there is a decreased supply of available units, which makes it less likely that people in rent-controlled units will dare to venture out and look for another unit that is a better fit in terms of size/location/etc.

njepa 8y ago

In markets that rely on rent control as a mechanism for affordable housing, you can usually exchange rent controlled units.

Plasmoid2000ad 8y ago

Rent control doesn't have to work this way, for example right now in Ireland. Rent control is associated with the Unit, not with the tenant. If you move to another rent controlled Unit, there's very limited situations where the landlord can increase the rent beyond the limits. A big problem is probably once you've implemented rent control, changing the system later becomes increasingly more difficult the longer it's been in place... as someone is always going to lose out.

gnicholas 8y ago
> Rent control is associated with the Unit, not with the tenant. If you move to another rent controlled Unit, there's very limited situations where the landlord can increase the rent beyond the limits. In a city with rent controls, however, finding another unit that is the right size and has rent control is not easy (because everyone is hanging onto their units — and in some cases illegally subletting them). This becomes a self-perpetuating cycle, where there is a decreased supply of available units, which makes it less likely that people in rent-controlled units will dare to venture out and look for another unit that is a better fit in terms of size/location/etc.