Housing policy megathread

[Josquius]

No it's not.

Flats with a legally limited rent price?
It's the very definition of the term.

[The Brain]

Yes. Good to see but a drop in the ocean alas. Prices are rising faster than ever.

]

There is a connection between price control and supply not meeting demand.

And the million homes program?

The state is free to build homes and rent them out cheaply if it wants to. No need for rent control.

That's a form of rent control.

No.

[The Brain]

No it's not.

Flats with a legally limited rent price?
It's the very definition of the term.

Where did you get legally limited rent price from? Nothing I said.

[Sheilbh]

Flats with a legally limited rent price?
It's the very definition of the term.

I said it a few times earlier - social housing has nothing to do with rent control. They're different things.

[Josquius]

And as I said a few times that's wrong. Social housing is key to the issue.
If housing has its rent legally limited then that's rent control.

No it's not.

Flats with a legally limited rent price?
It's the very definition of the term.

Where did you get legally limited rent price from? Nothing I said.

Maybe Sweden is different. But that's usually how social housing works.
It's not the state as a monolith building housing and freely deciding to charge a low price.
Theres legislation in place controlling what local authorities, HAs and whoever else can charge for social housing.

[The Brain]

And as I said a few times that's wrong. Social housing is key to the issue.
If housing has its rent legally limited then that's rent control.

No it's not.

Flats with a legally limited rent price?
It's the very definition of the term.

Where did you get legally limited rent price from? Nothing I said.

Maybe Sweden is different. But that's usually how social housing works.
It's not the state as a monolith building housing and freely deciding to charge a low price.
Theres legislation in place controlling what local authorities, HAs and whoever else can charge for social housing.

So something completely different from what I said.

[Josquius]

]

So something completely different from what I said.

This doesn't make sense. It's entirely what you said.
Or are you ignoring the context we were talking about (swedens previous impressive house building) and imagining some theoretical where the state operates as a private land lord?

[frunk]

There's a difference between an entity choosing to rent at a set price, and requiring all entities to rent at a set price.  The latter is rent control, the former is not.

[Josquius]

There's a difference between an entity choosing to rent at a set price, and requiring all entities to rent at a set price.  The latter is rent control, the former is not.

So rent control has never existed anywhere I believe.

[Sheilbh]

And as I said a few times that's wrong. Social housing is key to the issue.
If housing has its rent legally limited then that's rent control.

Okay, fine. But it's not what the rest of the world means when they're talking about rent control, including all of the economists who have said the overwhelming real world evidence is that rent control does not work.

None of them are talking about social housing. In fact, often, especially for left-wing economists social housing is part of what they argue for instead of rent control from an economic point of view (because it doesn't distort supply).

This is why I said it a couple of times because they are separate issues.

Edit: Even in the article you posted in support of rent control - there were a broad number of measures required for rent control to work and one of them was massively increased social housing, which is because they're different. (In that case, I suspect, in crease in social housing is basically state pumping supply to counteract the decline because of rent control.)

[Valmy]

Yeah if I just decide I am going to rent each of my units for 1$ that is not rent control. That's just me deciding to rent at a huge loss.

[Josquius]

[

Yeah if I just decide I am going to rent each of my units for 1$ that is not rent control. That's just me deciding to rent at a huge loss.

 
What are you talking about?
Who is suggesting this?
In the UK at least, and I believe in most of Europe at least, that's not what social housing does.

And as I said a few times that's wrong. Social housing is key to the issue.
If housing has its rent legally limited then that's rent control.

Okay, fine. But it's not what the rest of the world means when they're talking about rent control, including all of the economists who have said the overwhelming real world evidence is that rent control does not work.

None of them are talking about social housing. In fact, often, especially for left-wing economists social housing is part of what they argue for instead of rent control from an economic point of view (because it doesn't distort supply).

This is why I said it a couple of times because they are separate issues.

There's a difference between social housing and private sector rent control. Obviously.
But both are rent controlled housing.
I have never seen anyone deny this fact. When economists rage against rent control they usually do include social housing in this.

And don't make stuff up. There is not "overwhelming" real world evidence it "doesn't work".
Evidence suggests it does tend to work at doing what it's meant to do, however it clearly has trade offs.

[The Brain]

There's a difference between an entity choosing to rent at a set price, and requiring all entities to rent at a set price.  The latter is rent control, the former is not.

So rent control has never existed anywhere I believe.

Sweden has rent control.

[Valmy]

What are you talking about?
Who is suggesting this?
In the UK at least, and I believe in most of Europe at least, that's not what social housing does.

You are building units with the intention of renting them out at well below market prices yes?

Well even if they are free, that is still just renting it out at well below market prices.

That isn't establishing rent control.

[Josquius]

You are building units with the intention of renting them out at well below market prices yes?

Well even if they are free, that is still just renting it out at well below market prices.

That isn't establishing rent control.

Who is the "you" here?
The social housing providers?
They're building housing with the intention of renting them out at below market price and the legal obligation to do this.
This is the very definition of rent control.

There's a difference between an entity choosing to rent at a set price, and requiring all entities to rent at a set price.  The latter is rent control, the former is not.

So rent control has never existed anywhere I believe.

Sweden has rent control.

I'm pretty sure it doesn't according to this alternative definition. Aren't newly built apartments exempt?