WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the face of economic insecurity, high living costs and inflation, some cities are considering implementing rent control measures. Municipalities in New York and California have taken steps toward enacting further rent control measures, while other states, such as Nevada, are shooting down these ideas entirely. Rent control measures are government regulations that place a limit on the amount a landlord can charge to lease a home or renew a lease. These regulations are intended to keep living costs affordable for renters, particularly for tenants earning lower incomes. Once signed by a governor or passed through referendum, rent control regulations are legal and binding. As of 2022, only five states — California, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Minnesota — and the District of Columbia have rent control laws in place. Thirty-one states have pre-emptions that prevent rent control policies, including Florida, whose state law bans local governments from controlling the price of rent except in certain cases. But according to the Washington, D.C.-based National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC), several cities in Florida have nonetheless been working to place a rent control referendum on their November ballots. In both Tampa and St. Petersburg, city councils rejected these efforts, but …
