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The idea of rent control may be politically popular for some, but it is poor public policy in the long run, Illinois REALTORS® Local Governmental Affairs Director Brian Bernardoni said in testimony before an Illinois Senate Subcommittee on Special Issues in Springfield on Wednesday.
Pictured (l to r): Betsy Mitchell, lobbyist for Chicagoland Apartment Association; Michael Mini, Executive Vice President of Chicagoland Apartment Association; Brian Bernardoni, Illinois REALTORS® Local Director of Governmental Affairs (Chicago); and Greg St. Aubin, Illinois REALTORS® Senior Vice President, Governmental Affairs.
“Rent control in many cases cranks up regulations while ultimately reducing supply,” he said. “This is clearly the opposite of the goals of proponents and opponents alike.”
A number of rent control bills have been introduced in the Illinois General Assembly this spring that seek to repeal the state’s Rent Control Preemption Act, which bans local rent control ordinances, and in some proposed legislation, would impose rent control. The bills aren’t expected to move before the adjournment of the spring session, but the Senate held a subject matter hearing on the topic Wednesday.
Proponents of rent control testified that neighborhood gentrification is driving up housing costs and making some communities unaffordable. Restricting rent increases would help more people stay in their homes, they said.
But Michael Mini, executive vice president of the Chicagoland Apartment Association, said rent control often doesn’t help the people intended and can actually reduce the quantity and quality of affordable housing.
Bernardoni said years of detrimental policies have made it harder to provide an adequate supply of affordable housing and a more holistic approach must be taken in the future.
He offered some alternative options including: tying state housing assistance to encouraging municipalities to seek alternatives to existing regulatory barriers to affordable rentals, mandating an affordability note on home rule municipalities, establish a state standard to evaluate home rule communities on efforts to deregulate to achieve affordable housing and understanding that rent control is unnecessary in a market that corrects itself.
State Sen. Mattie Hunter, D- Chicago, is a sponsor of one of the rent control bills and said hearings will be held around the state on the issue this summer and fall.
