Opinion By Donna Westfall – April 22, 2023

In front of WalMart, petitions are available to sign regarding rent control. My husband told the signature gatherer, “I’m a landlord. I won’t be signing it.”

Just in case you didn’t know, rent control is already established in California.

According to AB-1482, the Tenant Protection Act of 2019, landlords in California are only permitted to increase rent by 5% plus 10% or the annual inflation rate, whichever is lower. Landlords are allowed to raise rent by a maximum of 10% every 12 months.

The rate of inflation is also referred to as the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

However; landlords in California are free to increase the rent by any amount while signing a new lease agreement if no existing occupants are present because the state’s rent control regulations only apply to rent increases for existing tenants.

Meanwhile some of the reasons for rent control are the same reasons why landlords can’t afford rent control:

#1 – Inflation – the highest it’s been in nearly 40 years,

Then there’ also these reasons landlords don’t want rent control:

Increases in mortgage interest

Increases in insurance

Increases in property taxes

Increases in minimum wage meaning that if you hire someone to do work, it’s expensive.

Next, you have to wonder when the utilities are going to raise rates. Not all rent includes utilities paid for by the tenant(s).

Then there are these things to consider:

A decent tenant turns bad, stops paying rent, has to be evicted and leaves your place in a shambles. In over 50 years of being a landlord, this scenario has only happened a few times, thank goodness. But the stress and strain of dealing with a tenant-from-hell takes it’s toll.

It would be nice if prices were to come down and housing became affordable. I think the only way that’s going to happen is if we get someone in the White House like Trump, or someone in the Governor’s House like Brian Dahle.

I believe that the “government” has to step back from taking so much control over our lives.