Arguments Against Rent Control

The topic of rent control in Canada has been widely debated by many groups of people. Rent control limits the amount a landlord can charge to a tenant and regulates how much and how often the landlord can increase the price of rent. Most business groups disagree with rent controls while advocacy groups argue for controls on rent. The position against rent controls will say that housing will decrease in quality and quantity when rent controls are implemented, while arguments for rent control say people with low incomes need protection against high increases in the price for rent. There should be limits set to regulate the amount and times a landlord can increase rent per year. These increases are, most times, impractical and impossible for

She explains how many people have experienced unaffordable rent increases, sometimes increasing by the hundreds per month. She believes that these increases are unreasonable and unattainable for the average person to be able to afford. I agree with the perspective of the first citizen. Rent control should be an issue handled by the government to prevent these outrageous increases. Landlords need to have regulations to ensure they are not taking advantage of their tenants by increasing their rent by enormous amounts. Rent controls provide long-term security for renters and ensure that lower income households cannot be pushed aside by landlords through eviction. The power landlords have over rent increases can be shifted towards the tenants and give them more control. San Francisco, for example, has rent control laws to protect their tenants from extreme increases. Some major working components of these laws include maximum increases for tenants limited at 10%. Landlords can only increase the price of rent by a set amount per year and all increases must be documented and approved by the Rent Board before they are imposed. As well, tenants can petition for rent decreases if landlords have failed to provide required services such as maintenance of the home. These rent control laws cover the majority of San Francisco and provide security for tenants living