Landlords and property owners haven’t had the easiest go of things since COVID emerged. When eviction moratoriums were put in place, this essentially blocked landlords and property owners from collecting payments from their tenants.
Supporters of eviction moratoriums argued it was a humane measure to keep vulnerable people from being put out on the streets when COVID was at its worst.
Yet, this forced property owners and landlords into situations where they had a harder time paying their own bills.
Now, in Florida, there’s an agenda to push through rent control measures amid inflation and growing living expenses. According to Newsmax, landlords, property owners, and property managers are currently fighting back against this.
Understanding the Debate Regarding Rent Control
In Orange County, Florida, there’s a measure on the ballot that would let residents determine whether or not they favor mandatory caps on what landlords can charge for rent.
As a result of this, Orange County is now facing a lawsuit from the Florida Association of Realtors and the Florida Apartment Association. According to these bodies, this ballot proposal for rent control is in violation of state law, barring an emergency.
RENT CONTROL: A group of landlords and real estate agents in Florida want to stop voters from deciding on a measure that would implement rent control for a year in the theme park hub that has been one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the U.S. https://t.co/08WgOu9Yct
— WPLG Local 10 News (@WPLGLocal10) August 20, 2022
Additionally, the Florida Association of Realtors and Florida Apartment Association warn that Orange County’s opening the door to disincentivizing the building of new apartments and houses.
In Florida, growing numbers of individuals are moving in, often fleeing from blue states. Therefore, the creation of new housing facilities would increase the supply of available residences, therefore lowering demand and decreasing prices over time.
Greater Problems Later Down the Line
The greater likelihood of less housing construction is only the tip of the iceberg concerning issues that could follow if rent control passes into law in Orange County, Florida.
Property owners and landlords, in many instances, may become priced out of being able to affordably manage and rent homes.
Therefore, this creates a situation where landlords are disincentivized to keep up with maintenance and repairs or otherwise invest in their properties.
Rent control leads to landlords selling or converting their properties to non residential, even worse under the table deals or them just letting the properties fall into disrepair.
Rent control isn't the solution building more housing is.
— Agent Kallus 🇺🇸🇹🇼🇺🇦 (@AleksandrKallus) August 15, 2022
The rent control debate, like many other issues throughout the United States, falls along partisan lines with Democrats being more likely to support it and Republicans being likelier to oppose it.
Time will tell how this shakes out in Orange County; however, the propensity for things to go wrong with rent control is far greater than what rent control supporters are citing as merits for this policy.
The left-wing push for rent control also comes as more Democrats espouse the notion that housing is a “human right” which no one should have to pay for.
What do you think about the legal showdown happening in Orange County, Florida over rent control? In the comments area, feel free to let us know how you see this playing out.
This article appeared in The Conservative Brief and has been published here with permission.
