Rent Control Helped Some of Us and Hurt the Rest of Us

Rental property owners were beholden to rent boards. Rent control boards’ authority began with a mandatory registration for all rent-controlled properties. Property owners paid a fee to register. Once registered, landlords could apply to the rent control board for permission to increase rent. Without permission, no increase was allowed, not…

Landlords feared the rent board. Landlords were expected to pay for repairs upfront. Afterwards, they would present receipts to the rent board. The rent board was under no obligation to say yes. Many landlords were wrongly delayed or denied. Landlord Jim Regan remembered 35 years later.  “A fridge would break…

Local property assessments went down. Run-down buildings are worth less than nice buildings. Low rent buildings are worth less than high rent buildings. Assessed values went down for both reasons. City tax assessments shrank to match. Rent-controlled properties became less valuable, appraised lower and generated less taxes.   Lower local tax…

Hong Lu was forced to rent rooms at below cost. The nonprofit Cambridge YMCA rented rooms for $450. Because Hong spoke English as a second language, she could not advocate adequately for herself before the rent board. She was ordered to rent her rooms for $250 (around $600 in 2023),…