On November 2, voters in St. Paul approved a referendum to enact the nation’s most stringent rent control law. The city government was unprepared, and in the ensuing weeks dissension has been fomenting in the city as developers announce that projects are being put on hold. On one side are tenants and their advocates. They…
On November 2, voters in St. Paul sent city officials into a frenzy. On that day, voters approved a referendum to impose the most stringent rent control law in the nation upon the city’s landlords. It will be illegal to increase rents by more than 3 percent. And unlike other cities with rent control, St….
The Swedish economist Assar Lindbeck once noted, “Next to bombing, rent control seems in many cases to be the most efficient technique so far known for destroying cities.” On November 2, voters in both Minneapolis and St. Paul approved measures that will ultimately lead to the destruction of those cities. In Minneapolis, voters gave the…
Like a swarm of lemmings, Seattle keeps moving closer to the edge of the cliff. Since the beginning of the pandemic, city council has enacted a series of destructive ordinances under the guise of protecting tenants. The latest insanity includes: Tenants must be given six months’ notice of rent increases Landlords must pay a tenant…
In an open letter to the Montclair Property Owners Association (MPOA) in February, I wrote: MPOA isn’t opposed to rent control as a matter of moral principle. The association just doesn’t like the particular version passed by the town council. This approach will fail in the long-term because it cedes the moral principle involved—the right…
Officials in Clark County, Nevada, are upset with the state’s association for realtors. In its August newsletter, the association told members that Nevada has no rent control laws and “landlords can raise the rent as much as they like, as long as the rent increase does not occur during the current lease.” A county commissioner…
Swedish economist Assar Lindbeck once asserted, “In many cases rent control appears to be the most efficient technique presently known to destroy a city—except for bombing.” Economists disagree on many things, but almost universally agree that rent control is a bad idea. But this hasn’t stopped politicians and housing advocates from calling for more rent…
A group of New York City landlords is challenging the city’s rent control laws. They contend that such laws constitute an unconstitutional taking of private property. In an OpEd piece, two legal scholars argue that rent control does not physically take the landlord’s property, and therefore, rent control is not a taking. The authors go…
City officials in Charleston, South Carolina want to pay homeowners to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on their property. Relaxing zoning regulations that limit or prohibit ADUs, also called granny flats or mother-in-law suites, is one way many cities are addressing the shortage of affordable housing. Ending the prohibition on ADUs is a proper step….
Politicians are often exhorted to follow the “will of the people”—to take those actions that are supported by a majority of citizens. This is a very dangerous idea because it can justify virtually any kind of injustice. To illustrate this, consider a recent article in the Summit Daily in Colorado. The article states that “most…
The Seattle City Council recently passed a law that provides legal representation for tenants facing eviction. According to the Seattle Times, advocates claim that the law “is a small investment that will help people stay in their homes and forestall the ruinous, and more expensive, consequences of homelessness.” Whether that claim is true or not…