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Rent control is not good in theory, it's the most universally hated policy among economists because it has so many horrible unintended effects on housing develo

Rent control is not good in theory, it's the most universally hated policy among economists because it has so many horrible unintended effects on housing development and maintenance.

archagon 11mo ago
That’s because it’s not an economic policy but a humanistic one. Stable housing should be a right. If rent control was the default, then obviously no renter would vote for arbitrary rent increases in exchange for maybe, someday in the future, rent going down due to increased housing supply.
- bpt3 11mo ago
  It's not humanistic, it's pandering to current renters at the expense of everyone else. You can put your right to stable housing next to your right to internet, healthcare, and every other meaningless positive right.
  - archagon 11mo ago
    Call it meaningless if you want, but this is a policy that renters getting priced out of their housing markets will eagerly vote for. And prioritizing existing residents over newcomers feels just to me. Focus on making it easier to build new housing instead of getting pissy about the safety net.
    - aianus 11mo ago
      "Newcomers" to the rental market include every person who already lives in that city and hasn't moved out of their parents' house yet. Why should they be penalized even more for not being born sooner?
    - bpt3 11mo ago
      Of course, individuals (renters in this case) will vote for a policy that benefits them at the expense of everyone else. Increasing regulation does the opposite of making it easier to build new housing. I do agree that current residents should be able to prioritize their own needs, but that rarely results in additional housing stock being built.
- Hammershaft 11mo ago
  Good intentions count for nothing. Good intentions that create bad policy that harms people counts for much less than nothing.
  - archagon 11mo ago
    You can feel however you want about it, but people will vote for rent control if they start getting squeezed out of their housing. Hate it as an economic policy? Then make sure enough housing gets built before people get squeezed.
  - kjkjadksj 11mo ago
    It doesn’t really harm people. Housing crisis cities with rent controls are built out to the limits of their zoning. This suggests zoning is the limiting factor and not rent control.

Rent control is not good in theory, it's the most universally hated policy among economists because it has so many horrible unintended effects on housing development and maintenance.

archagon 11mo ago

That’s because it’s not an economic policy but a humanistic one. Stable housing should be a right. If rent control was the default, then obviously no renter would vote for arbitrary rent increases in exchange for maybe, someday in the future, rent going down due to increased housing supply.

bpt3 11mo ago
It's not humanistic, it's pandering to current renters at the expense of everyone else. You can put your right to stable housing next to your right to internet, healthcare, and every other meaningless positive right.
- archagon 11mo ago
  Call it meaningless if you want, but this is a policy that renters getting priced out of their housing markets will eagerly vote for. And prioritizing existing residents over newcomers feels just to me. Focus on making it easier to build new housing instead of getting pissy about the safety net.
  - aianus 11mo ago
    "Newcomers" to the rental market include every person who already lives in that city and hasn't moved out of their parents' house yet. Why should they be penalized even more for not being born sooner?
  - bpt3 11mo ago
    Of course, individuals (renters in this case) will vote for a policy that benefits them at the expense of everyone else. Increasing regulation does the opposite of making it easier to build new housing. I do agree that current residents should be able to prioritize their own needs, but that rarely results in additional housing stock being built.
Hammershaft 11mo ago
Good intentions count for nothing. Good intentions that create bad policy that harms people counts for much less than nothing.
- archagon 11mo ago
  You can feel however you want about it, but people will vote for rent control if they start getting squeezed out of their housing. Hate it as an economic policy? Then make sure enough housing gets built before people get squeezed.
- kjkjadksj 11mo ago
  It doesn’t really harm people. Housing crisis cities with rent controls are built out to the limits of their zoning. This suggests zoning is the limiting factor and not rent control.