Rent Control
• Began across US during WWII as emergency measure that controlled
many prices.
• Controls lifted by federal government immediately after war (mid
1940’s).
• NY city elected to maintain controls.
• NY controls:
– Applied to apartment housing built pre-1947.
– Exclude buildings less than 5 apartment units.
– Severely restricted rent increases over time.
• Over roughly 25 year period NY only city in country with rent control.
• In 1970’s 2nd generation controls adopted by some cities: Mainly in
California and northeastern states: (Massachusetts, New Jersey,
Maryland and DC).
Characteristics of 2nd generation controls (sometimes called rent
stabilization):
1.
Controls rent growth only for continuously occupied apartments;
apts. allowed to charge market rate when tenant vacates.
2.
Allows automatic rent growth tied to inflation rate.
3.
Allows for decontrol of apartments once they increase to a certain
price.
•
By mid 80’s over 200 cities representing 20% of US population had
some form of controls.
•
As of early 90’s approximately eight California cities had some
form rent control including SF, LA, Santa Monica, San Jose, West
Hollywood, Berkeley and others.
Contrast LA and Santa Monica.
• Both adopted rent control in 1979.
• LA implemented less strict controls (2nd generation); allowed for
vacancy decontrol.
• Santa Monica adopted strict measures without vacancy decontrol.
• Both LA and Santa Monica controls apply only to housing built before
1979.
• LA allows for rent growth related to inflation rate (and apartment
complex improvements); LA growth schedule.
• SM law does not allow automatic rent growth.
• State law passed in 1995, implemented in 1999 outlawed local rent
control laws that don’t allow for vacancy decontrol.
Motivation for Rent Control:
A.
B.
C.
Redistribute income from land owners to tenants/renters.
Encourage economically, socially integrated neighborhoods.
Allow the poor to afford housing.
•
Gyourko and Linneman (1989) study NY rent controls on apt. built
pre-1947. Data from 1968 Housing and Vacancy Survey.
Estimates the price that controlled apartments would have received
if not for price controls.
Calculated Subsidy = Estimated Rent – Actual Controlled Rent;
presents average subsidy (called benefits) for various groups.
Found the mean annual subsidy equaled 27.2% of tenants mean
annual income.
Krol and Svorny (2004) estimate the effect rent controls in the New
York area have on commuting times.
Rent controls increase the cost of moving, and may leave some
people far from their job.
Study finds communities with rent control had a higher percentage
of commuters with long commutes compared to communities
without controls.
•
•
•
•
•
Economic Analysis - Short Run
•
During short run time period quantity
supplied fixed at 90 apartments.
Market establish price $600 where
Qd=Qs
Suppose rent control establish price at
$400.
Short run shortage: 30 units.
Caused by increased quantity demanded
from point B to E along demand curve.
•
•
Rent
SR supply
•
•
B
600
C
400
E
Demand
90
120
apartments
Long Run
•
Rent
SR Supply
B
600
400
LR Supply
•
D
C
E
demand
50
90
120
apartments
•
In long run
property
owners may
adjust by
converting
property to
alternative
uses.
Causing elastic
supply of
housing and
move from B to
D along supply
curve.
Shortage is
now more
severe D-E.
• Municipalities using rent controls have acted to discourage
property owners from converting buildings to alternative
uses.
– Santa Monica disallows most conversions of apartments to condos.
– Cambridge Massachusetts disallowed converted condo owners from living
in their own units. They were forced to rent them out at controlled prices.
• Decrease in available apartments also results from reduced
turnover in occupancy.
• People in controlled apartments less likely to move and give up
subsidy.
• Length of tenancy should be higher in rent controlled cities.
– Example of Santa Monica table 1 (WHO BENEFITS FROM RENT
CONTROL? EFFECTS ON TENANTS IN SANTA MONICA,
CALIFORNIA by Ned Levine, J. Eugene Grigsby III, and Allan Heskin).
Rent control may cause deterioration in apartments.
• Provider of apartment units actually offering services in
addition to physical good.
»
»
»
»
Parking
Water
Maintenance
Security
• Rent may be considered the payment for these services.
These services amount to variable costs to property owner.
• Property owners may wish to decrease those costs if rents
are controlled.
• Decrease in tenant turnover may allow property owners to
decrease services without increasing vacancy.
Rent control and social / economic integration
• With binding rent control, more people will be able to afford housing.
• In long run model everyone willing to pay $400 will compete for
housing, whereas the market would have eliminated those not willing
to pay $600.
• With shortage, property owners may have greater influence in
determining who occupies apartments.
• Potential renters can’t distinguish themselves by offering higher rent.
• Landlords use other, non-market criteria to determine occupancy.
• Santa Monica:
– In 1987 almost 60% surveyed residents found apartments through
personal contacts. “Tenants acquired their units either through a friend or
relative or by knowing the landlord.”
• Personal contact of person typically similar race, income, social class.
• Santa Monica study survey: table 3
– The city grew whiter (!) after rent controls were implemented.
– Proportion of those surveyed who were black or latino was smaller in the
survey after controls implemented than before.
– Hispanic population in all of LA County rose from 20% to 25% of
residents from 1980 – 1987. Proportion in Santa Monica fell by roughly
25% over same time period.
• Those who were black or Hispanic were more likely than whites to
have been living in Santa Monica since before rent controls.
– 73% of surveyed whites moved in after rent controls.
– 40% of blacks and 53.3% of surveyed Hispanics moved in after rent
controls.
• Income distribution of renters in Santa Monica largely unchanged preand post controls, although lower income residents are found to benefit
more from the controls than higher income residents.
How do we decrease the cost
of housing?