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
Table demonstrating the relationship between the depth of a building lot form the street frontage and its market value. Street frontage is the greatest asset of a land parcel. The ...
The person giving property or establishing a trust. ...
Any written evidence or tangible material which can be reproduced as written material which is coherent and related to the subject at hand. This includes documents, contracts, inscriptions ...
Method of construction where vertical siding is attached to a horizontal framing structure. Often found in the design of agricultural buildings. ...
Founded in 1942 and located in Washington DC, the NAHB has 155,000 members with 824 local groups. Its membership consists of single, multifamily and commercial home builders. The NAHB ...
Present worth of the property which is different than the price paid for it or its book value (cost less accumulated depreciation). The current value may be determined through appraisal. ...
Tax-free status given to certain nonprofit organizations and governmental entities. Churches, charities, and government buildings do not pay property tax because of their tax-free status. ...
group of at least two people or businesses combining to engage in a real estate project that would exceed their individual financial abilities. A syndication allows earning to be ...
Document issued by a public or private institution to perform some activity according to legal requirements. There is usually a license fee. An example is a real estate license. ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.