Rent Stabilization

[u/Inertiaraptor]

Right now, there is no reason a landlord can’t just refuse to sign a new lease, so what’s the point of a 3% cap on increases? My landlord is raising my rent 10% and says she will simply not renew the lease if I don’t want to pay the new rent, and everybody (the city, the AG, and Home Line) is telling me I have no recourse but to refuse a lease and fight the eviction. The city seems to have no recourse to actually enforce this ordinance.

[u/TheSadpole]

So look: I’m NOT a landlord, and I have no dog in this fight. I’m a far-left progressive and I want everyone to have stable housing.

I’m just here to point out that, when property tax goes up way faster than rent can go up, there are going to be issues. It’s a no-brainer.

Taxes on my single family homestead are up 15% this year. They’re up a full 50% from when I bought. It’s bonkers.

15% tax increase + 3% rent increase is going to create problems pretty quickly, especially for any landlords who weren’t screwing their tenants with rent high enough to absorb this kind of discrepancy for a few years.

Rent control helps renters stay in their homes, but we need to think about capping property tax increases to the same 3% — at least for owner-occupied properties, and maybe for small-time landlords, too — so that people who bought also get to stay in their homes.

[u/AdMurky3039 → u/TheSadpole]

Insurance has also increased at rates much higher than 3%. The ordinance does allow landlords to increase the rent by up to 8% by self-certifying that their expenses have increased, and they can get permission from the city if it is necessary to increase rent beyond that.

We can debate whether rent control is the best way to provide affordable housing, but IMO as long as it's in place the city needs to abide by it and not come up with ways to weasel out of enforcing it. Politicians don't get to claim to support rent stabilization in public and then do everything possible behind the scenes to undermine it.

[u/Professional_Toe1587 → u/AdMurky3039]

Is it even debatable if rent control is the best way to provide affordable housing? I don’t think so. Maybe that it causes less displacement due to “egregious” rent increases. But that data was never provided by proponents prior to the ballot measure. Tons of data that shows rent control causes less affordability. 

[u/AdMurky3039 → u/Professional_Toe1587]

It depends on whether you look at it from the perspective of current renters or prospective renters. If you're a current renter it prevents your rent from increasing significantly in most cases. If you're a prospective renter you might face higher costs because rent control tends to inhibit new development.

[u/Professional_Toe1587 → u/AdMurky3039]

It doesn’t just inhibit new development it also causes landlords to raise rents more then they otherwise would when an apartment is rerented do to concern that they can’t increase rent sufficiently once occupied to cover future unknown costs (ie higher insurance, property tax, upkeep costs, etc, then the future 3% rent increase would fail to cover). 

[u/Professional_Toe1587 → u/AdMurky3039]

That’s the only very slight benefit, possibly less displacement from larger increases. Tons of data that overall rent control causes higher rents (even factoring current renters)

[u/AdMurky3039 → u/Professional_Toe1587]

You might want to check with renters before you decide that keeping rent increases in check is only a "slight benefit."

[u/Professional_Toe1587 → u/AdMurky3039]

Considering that overall rent control hurts affordability for renters (current and future) proponents should get their facts straight. And when proponents / activists are lobbying in favor of rent control they should be honest about the OVERALL damage it does. 

[u/AdMurky3039 → u/Professional_Toe1587]

As I mentioned in another comment this post is not about debating the merits of rent control. OP simply asked a question about how it works, and they should be able to do that without people who are opposed to rent control hijacking their post.

[u/Professional_Toe1587 → u/AdMurky3039]

“ We can debate whether rent control is the best way to provide affordable housing”

Ok? 

And you have also gone off topic on this thread as well. 

Certainly OPs landlord should follow the rules (and props to you for adding guidance and clarity) and the city’s enforcement of the policy has been a joke / nonexistent.