On Nov. 12, Los Angeles passed reforms to their rent control program, sharply curbing the amount that property owners are allowed to raise rents annually. 

Some have framed this as a victory for tenants, but the expansion of these policies is a tragedy for all who enjoy living in affordable cities. 

Rent control is a dangerous policy that threatens to destroy America’s cities. It inevitably reduces housing supply, drives up the rates of nonregulated units and causes regulated units to fall into disrepair. 

Rent controls involve caps on the amount that landlords can increase the rent on an annual or per-lease basis. They are a recent favorite of far-left mayors, but they are anything but a new policy. The devastating effects of rent controls are well-documented, and the policy is even more disproven by basic economics.

Rent control

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