[jldugger]

Much of the US lives just fine without rent control. My landlord raises rents every year, in lockstep with local union raises. Doubling rent annually is hyperbole, and if you really think landlords can afford to pull bait & switch leases, local only movers cheap enough that clever people should exploit them by moving every year for the discount rent.

At this point it seems like the only places with rent control are where rents are refucking-diculus.

[Frondo]

Doubling annually probably happens rarely enough you can ignore it. Where I live now, though, in a medium-sized Pacific NW city, rents in various of my friends and relations buildings/complexes have seen increases 50% in four years.

That's still pretty bad, and I know several people myself who were forced out due to rising rents becoming unaffordable.

That kind of disruption to people's lives doesn't make the kind of society I want to live in.

[6t6t6]

Where I live, once you rent a flat, the landlord is legally allowed to rise the fee only by a small amount every year (related to the CPI). Also, most of the rentings are long term and the landlord is not allowed to kick you out (except for some exceptional events).

So, when you choose a place to live, you know that you can plan your life there. Also, you don't need to be scared for the landlord blackmailing you.

I guess that both systems work. It's just different models of society.