Rent Control
Definition of "Rent control"
“What is Rent Control?”, you ask.
Rent Control is how some governmental policies that prevent the Landlord from abusively raising the rent are called in the real estate world.
"Rent control in NYC!" is how TV producers excuse themselves when asked how those twenty-something sitcom characters – like the ones on “Friends” - are able to afford to live in such huge apartments. But because of the omnipresent Rent Control in NYC broadcasted by Television and Movies, many people think that the whole country has it and that is not true. Not every state has rent control laws. And the ones that do, normally don’t impose those regulations over every single rental property. Rent Control is usually a tool against gentrification used only in communities where the demand for housing is too high - like NYC.
A Landlord with a house (or an apartment) under those rent laws basically has determined by the government when (and by how much) he/she can increase a Tenant's rent. This prevents the Tenants from having a bitter surprise when the time comes for the contract renewal.
Note: the Landlord is not stuck forever with the Tenant. He/She can reach out to the market and find a new Tenant willing to pay his/her overpriced rent, sure. However, he/she will have a hard time finding this new Tenant, because other properties in that same area are not costing as much, thanks to those governmental policies. If the new Tenant knows this, he/she will probably negotiate around that. Also, hopefully, the current Tenant will have done a good job on his/her rental contract and will have made a clause where he/she has the right to cover the offer and/or other tactics to keep himself/herself inside that property.
Real Estate Secrets:
Get smart with our Glossary Terms! Search away and learn hundreds of real estate words!
Want to find the best Rent Control properties? Find a specialized agent on The Official Real Estate Agent Directory®
Popular Real Estate Terms
Person who dies leaving a will specifying the distribution of the estate. ...
Written enumeration of the desired selling prices associated with homes or office buildings for sale. The prospective buyer can then determine if the properties for sale are within his ...
Person providing advice for compensation about real estate. ...
Real property being offered for sale that has received a contract for sale but has not gone to a closing. Under these circumstances, it may be possible to accept a refundable binder for ...
Branch of the federal government responsible for collecting taxes including personal and corporate. The IRS administers tax rules and regulations, and investigates tax irregularities. ...
Sponsor of a syndicate involving people or companies buying an interest in a real estate investment or unit. The group of investors are in effect engaged in a joint venture for profit." ...
The maximum pre-approved amount that an individual or business can borrow without preparing a new credit request. It is a safety buffer in the event funds are needed for unexpected ...
Decline in value of real estate property because it is near something which is damaging to its worth. For example, a house located next to a pollution treatment center, drug center, or ...
Way in which the U.S. government uses to subdivide public land. Land is designated as either a base line (East-West) or principal meridian line (North-South). It is a rectangular approach ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.