3 ms·

This is a disaster. Have we learned nothing at all? Rent control won't help anyone except those who already have a low rent place and it'll only help for the

This is a disaster. Have we learned nothing at all? Rent control won't help anyone except those who already have a low rent place and it'll only help for the short term until they need to move. After 50 years of ridiculous regulations that prevent more housing from being added, we're still moving in the wrong direction. This is truely a sad day.

scarlac 7y ago
It's not ideal and no silver bullet, but having rents go up means "normal" people living in places for years get pushed out of the city and land lords get richer, faster. It seems to address that issue, which is not all bad on the surface. It's not the perfect solution, but what do you propose as something better that still helps normal people not get pushed out?
- rconti 7y ago
  I don't have a perfect solution, either, but I see unintended consequence from this: * Fewer rentals on the market * More instances of landlords "re-occupying" a place (eg, ACTUALLY kicking out the residents) in order to fix it up (or not) and then re-rent to someone else at a much higher base rent, later. When rents go up, tenants push themselves out (or, the market pushes them out). When we devise tenant protection laws, we invent 'better' landlords who find clever ways to PUSH out people who are paying below market. If there was a way to artificially hold ALL rents down, it might be less obvious -- but under a rent control scheme, everyone knows when you're paying below market; you look at the classified ads (okay, craigslist) and see that you could never afford to find a 'new' place like yours at the same price. The tenants know it, the landlords know it. The tenants have protection. For awhile. Until they don't.
  - pontifier 7y ago
    My uncle was given an eviction notice last month so the owner can fix the place up. Expect many more people to get similar notices before the new eviction protections kick in at the end of the year.
afpx 7y ago
Wouldn’t it mostly discourage people from buying properties for the only purpose of renting them? I think the long-term effects will be interesting. Hopefully, a bunch of rental properties will hit the market.

scarlac 7y ago

It's not ideal and no silver bullet, but having rents go up means "normal" people living in places for years get pushed out of the city and land lords get richer, faster. It seems to address that issue, which is not all bad on the surface. It's not the perfect solution, but what do you propose as something better that still helps normal people not get pushed out?

rconti 7y ago
I don't have a perfect solution, either, but I see unintended consequence from this: * Fewer rentals on the market * More instances of landlords "re-occupying" a place (eg, ACTUALLY kicking out the residents) in order to fix it up (or not) and then re-rent to someone else at a much higher base rent, later. When rents go up, tenants push themselves out (or, the market pushes them out). When we devise tenant protection laws, we invent 'better' landlords who find clever ways to PUSH out people who are paying below market. If there was a way to artificially hold ALL rents down, it might be less obvious -- but under a rent control scheme, everyone knows when you're paying below market; you look at the classified ads (okay, craigslist) and see that you could never afford to find a 'new' place like yours at the same price. The tenants know it, the landlords know it. The tenants have protection. For awhile. Until they don't.
- pontifier 7y ago
  My uncle was given an eviction notice last month so the owner can fix the place up. Expect many more people to get similar notices before the new eviction protections kick in at the end of the year.

afpx 7y ago

Wouldn’t it mostly discourage people from buying properties for the only purpose of renting them? I think the long-term effects will be interesting. Hopefully, a bunch of rental properties will hit the market.