ABSTRACT
Market rent inflation has been considerably more moderate during the late 1980s and the 1990s in the Washington metropolitan area—and other urban housing markets—than it was during the 1970s and early 1980s. Advocates often advance rent control as a panacea for problems of housing affordability, whereas opponents blame controls for the poor quality and dwindling supply of low-cost units. The District of Columbia’s rent control program was established in 1975 in response to rapid inflation in rent levels during the early 1970s. District renters strongly approve of rent control. When surveyed in 1987, sentiment ran at least three to one in favor of rent control for virtually all segments of the renter population. Empirical evidence suggests that both renters and landlords in the District of Columbia may exaggerate the impacts of the District’s rent control system. The Urban Institute collected pro forma financial data for a sample of controlled rental properties from District of Columbia government records.
