Rent is getting more expensive everywhere.
In most US states and cities, there's not a whole lot the government can do about it. That's because rent control is prohibited in 37 states.
But the surge in housing costs amid the ongoing pandemic has led several jurisdictions to take another look at new laws to clamp down on rent increases, even as landlords fight back — and in some cases taking legal action.
In states like Massachusetts, where tenants' rights groups are clamoring for the statewide ban on rent control to be lifted, evictions are rising. They've been increasing throughout the country as well, after the federal pandemic moratorium on evictions ended at the end of 2021. And rent continues to surge at record rates as people get booted from their homes.
Landlord groups argue that rent control will reduce the available supply of apartments, and that property values and tax revenue will decrease. There is limited empirical data about whether that's true, but detractors argue that rent control reduces incentives for landlords to supply housing, with some case studies showing that the lost rental housing supply drives up market rents in the long run in units not protected by rent control.
An Urban Institute study from 2019 concludes that more research needs to be done before evaluating rent control either way.
"If rent control is judged on its ability to promote stability for people in rent-controlled units, evidence has generally found it to be successful," the study said. "However, evidence is also mixed for rent control's ability to promote economic opportunity or reduce racial disparities."
Rent control regulations exist in five states, as well as Washington, D.C: New York, New Jersey, California, Oregon, and Maryland. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that regulations being proposed throughout the country would allow landlords to boost monthly rents by no more than 2% to 10%. Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, Washington and Massachusetts have all introduced proposals to add or expand rent control protections, but these new proposals haven't cleared their legislatures.
Here are 6 places making progress on their bids to increase rent control measures.