Breaking Down the Biden Administration’s National Rent Stabilization Proposal

Overview:

This article was written by Christina Stacy, Gabe Samuels, and Donovan Harvey at Urban Institute.

• Rent stabilization can protect tenants but may also reduce the overall supply of rental units, thus creating a trade-off between immediate tenant protections and long-term housing availability.
• Effective policy design and enforcement are crucial for ensuring that rent stabilization benefits those most in need while preventing unintended consequences such as reduced housing supply and increased costs for non-controlled units.

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Key Quotes:

• "The success of this policy hinges on its design and implementation. Our new research shows that while rent stabilization increases the number of units affordable to residents with extremely low incomes, on average, it also reduces the overall supply of rental units."
• "Proactive enforcement can reduce the burden on tenants to know their rights and report violations. But although proactive enforcement is better for vulnerable tenants, it can be very expensive."

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What They Discuss:

• The proposal limits annual rent increases to 5 percent for existing units owned by landlords with more than 50 units, leveraging depreciation tax breaks as an incentive for compliance.
• Research indicates a trade-off: rent stabilization can make more units affordable for low-income residents while also potentially decreasing the overall supply of rental units.
• Exemptions and application scope: The proposal exempts new construction and substantial renovations from rent caps, focusing on corporate landlords but not smaller landlords.
• Adaptation of local models: Similar to California’s Tenant Protection Act, rent caps are often tied to inflation indexes plus an additional percentage, capped to protect tenants during high inflation years.
• Enforcement challenges: Ensuring landlords comply with rent stabilization laws may require proactive enforcement measures, such as data collection and monitoring, which can be resource-intensive.

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What They Recommend:

• Federal policymakers should determine whether to allow for vacancy decontrol or enact vacancy control to prevent rent increases between tenants.
• Implement just cause eviction protections alongside rent stabilization to reduce tenant displacement.
• Develop a comprehensive tracking and monitoring system to effectively enforce rent stabilization laws and ensure compliance.
• To prevent pre-implementation rent hikes, consider extending the stabilization period and setting base rents at prior years' levels.
• Policymakers should not exempt smaller landlords from rent stabilization regulations to ensure tenant protections are uniformly applied.

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Key Takeaways:

• Rent stabilization policies can provide immediate tenant protections but require careful design to avoid reducing the long-term supply of rental units.
• Determining the scope of application and exemptions is crucial to balancing landlord incentives and tenant protections.
• Effective enforcement is key to ensuring compliance and protecting tenants, but it requires significant resources and investment.
• Properly crafted rent stabilization policies must consider potential loopholes landlords might exploit and aim to close these gaps through comprehensive protections and monitoring.

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Disclaimer:

This is a brief overview of the article by Christina Stacy, Gabe Samuels, and Donovan Harvey at Urban Institute. For complete insights, we recommend reading the full article.