I am pretty close to POSITIVE that rents would not go down one red cent if there was no rent control. That’s definitely the case in NYC.

That “subsidize long term tenants” canard is well-loved by our nyc -wait for it- “Rent Stabilization Association” (by which they actually mean “want to kill rent stabilization with a hot passion and then stomp on it’s dead body, killing it even deader than dead”).

I would absolutely bet that rents would not go down even one little penny, if rent stabilization were not in place in New York City, despite what landlord associations promise as if that were their nearest and dearest wish.

In NYC it’s a fight to see how MUCH you can charge, not to see *how little*. So please, landlords don’t “have” to raise rents on newly available units. Landlords are in it to turn as high a profit as they are able. The number of people who just want to “keep it real” and make a decent amount WHILE ALSO providing a reasonably priced place to live is more the exception than the rule. Totally exists, folks who say: I could charge you more and make more, but I’d rather charge a bit less because fuck it, I can and it’s nice to give someone a break.

To be fair, being a landlord can be a pain (people, man.) But still. Maximize profits. That’s the name of the game. No one is “subsidize those bastards who are getting a slightly more reasonable deal”. It’s just that some folks don’t get in on stabilized (as it’s called here in nyc) rents. But pitting renters against each other is a strategy not designed to benefit renters. Just, if you see what I’m saying… divide and conquer, etc. etc.

(And anyone who is getting an unheard of fabulous deal is either 80 or won the jackpot and is a total legend talked about by folks for miles around. Because it’s. that. unusual.)

Still, though. 1K in the castro that’s a pretty damn good deal.

But please don’t perpetuate the rumor (seeded misinformation) that subsidized tenants cost other tenants money. That’s just not how it works. Their rents would just go up, non-subsidized rents wouldn’t go down, if there were not rent protections.

I would really love to get my own place but I’ll probably need to find another more affordable house share situation (I work for a non-profit which means I’m not raking in the big bucks). Maybe I can charm some friendly landlord into slightly cheaper rent for a little studio somewhere like this piece’s author did? I’m more than willing to dispose of any stray coupon books!

Rent in places like SF and NYC always exceed those “rules” anyway. Most people I know spend about half their salary on rent, especially if they want to live alone or in a nice neighborhood, or both (which is the holy grail for me). In contrast, I live in an okay but somewhat inconvenient NYC-area neighborhood with three roommates and pay rent just according to those “rules.”