美国国家公共电台 NPR--Rent control expands as tenants struggle with the record-high cost of housing

Rent control expands as tenants² struggle with the record-high cost of housing

Transcript³

Last spring, a month after an out-of-state investor⁴ bought the apartment building where LaMonica Dickerson lives in Louisville, Ky., she and more than 100 others got an eviction⁶ notice. If she wanted to stay, she was told her rent would be $500 higher.

"They're forcing homelessness," she says. "Married couples are having to split because they don't have anywhere to go together."

Dickerson negotiated to stay put and pay only $200 more a month, but if rents rise again when the lease is up next year, she doesn't know what she'll do.

"I was going to go back to Nashville, and when I saw the rent in Nashville — because that's my home, I love Nashville — it broke my heart."

Dickerson is part of a vibrant⁷ tenants' rights movement that has revived a push for rent control, fueled by anger and desperation after years of rent hikes that have outpaced wages and inflation. This month, voters in Florida, Maine and California approved ballot⁸ measures to impose or tighten⁹ caps on rent hikes.

This expansion is happening despite years of research that shows rent control can actually reduce the overall amount of affordable¹⁰ housing, and may not help those who need it most. But supporters say solutions for the housing crisis take years to play out, and people at risk of eviction or even homelessness need help now.

To that end, Dickerson recently joined dozens of other tenants from around the country who converged¹¹ on Washington, D.C., to lobby Biden administration domestic and economic policy officials. In addition to strengthening tenant¹ protections, the group has suggested an executive order to set rent caps on federally backed mortgages and subsidized housing.

"We need universal rent controls in this country, and we actually need the federal government to champion them," says Tara Raghuveer of the advocacy group People's Action, which organized the trip.

Raghuveer argues that federal action is needed because many states largely ban cities from enacting¹² rent control (though often with exceptions and possible workarounds.) She also cites the growing share of housing bought by institutional investors¹³.

"They own properties in Kentucky and Missouri and Illinois and California, and therefore they need to be regulated by federal law," she says.

It's not clear the Biden administration agrees with that, or would have such legal authority. But more states and cities are debating rent control and taking action.

Rent control is both controversial and politically popular

Jim Lapides, with the National Multifamily Housing Council, tracked 19 state legislatures that had rent control proposals this year — nearly all of them to expand it. Combined with local measures, he says it's the most he's seen in working on the issue for a decade.

Lapides understands the appeal of what seems like a quick, easy fix, but says this is not it.

"It's a shame, because rent control attempts to address the symptoms of the problem while making the core issue worse," he says.

That core issue is a shortage of millions of homes and apartments. It began when construction plummeted¹⁴ after the 2008 housing crash, and it's led to historically low vacancy¹⁵ rates that have helped drive up rents most everywhere. Lapides says capping rents does not add to the housing stock, discourages developers from building in that market, and over the longer term can actually lead to fewer affordable units.

"Either they go into disrepair and fall to obsolescence¹⁶ because they don't have the resources to reinvest into those units, or they get converted to other uses," he says. "Maybe they're converted to condos, or even not residential¹⁷ at all."

That's the dilemma¹⁸ landlord Brit Vitalius is facing in Maine, now that Portland voters approved a ballot measure to tighten that city's rent cap to 70% of the consumer price index — a rough measure of inflation. Vitalius heads the Rental¹⁹ Housing Alliance of Southern Maine and also rents out 30 places.

"I have some vacant units right now. I'm trying to decide what to do with them," he says.

He expects to keep renting; Portland's new measure imposes a $25,000 fee if landlords convert property to a condo. But normally, Vitalius says he'd use a vacancy to upgrade kitchens and bathrooms, maybe replace a worn, clawfoot bathtub in a century-old home.

"I take great care of my tenants," he says. "But there is no reason that I can justify²⁰ putting any more money into these buildings. The market is hot, I don't have to do anything, and I'll get the rent that I get."

On the other side of the country, voters in Pasadena, Calif., also passed rent control, along with measures to make it harder to evict⁵ people.

Tenant activist²¹ Jane Panangaden says the state already caps rent, but not enough to keep it from rising higher than the rate of inflation. Now Pasadena will limit hikes to 75% of the consumer price index.

The aim is that, over time, a smaller share of people's income will have to go toward housing.

"And that will hopefully create a lot more stability," Panangaden says, "because right now, tenants are moving, you know, every two or three years as the rent goes up."

Rent control helps some people, but more is needed

Research shows rent control does keep people from being displaced.

But to actually create more affordable places to live, housing experts say cities will need to do something else that's not as politically popular: eliminate single-family zoning laws, many designed decades ago to prevent Black residents from buying in certain neighborhoods, and allow for denser²² housing. Then, build lots of it.

A number of cities and states have taken steps to make this happen, though it's too early to assess the impact.

Housing experts also say far more public funding is needed to create housing for the lowest-income renters. This month, despite struggling under the sting of inflation, voters around the country approved raising taxes to build, preserve and subsidize more affordable housing.

Analysts²³ say the meteoric²⁴ rise in rents has slowed for the moment. But fixing the historic housing shortage — especially affordable housing — remains²⁵ a long-term solution. In the meantime, both supporters and opponents expect more places to consider rent control for those struggling to avoid displacement²⁶ or eviction.

1 tenant   

n.承租人；房客；佃户；v.租借，租用

参考例句：

• The tenant was dispossessed for not paying his rent.那名房客因未付房租而被赶走。
• The tenant is responsible for all repairs to the building.租户负责对房屋的所有修理。

2 tenants   

n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者

参考例句：

• A number of tenants have been evicted for not paying the rent. 许多房客因不付房租被赶了出来。
• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

5 evict   

vt.驱逐，赶出，撵走

参考例句：

• The lessor can evict the lessee for failure to pay rent.出租人可驱逐不付租金的承租人。
• The government always says it's for the greater good when they evict farmers from their land.当政府把农民从他们的土地赶出去的时候，总是号称是为了更大众的利益。

6 eviction   

n.租地等的收回

参考例句：

• The family have won a temporary reprieve from eviction.这个家庭暂时免于被逐出。
• He claimed damages for unlawful eviction.他要求对非法驱逐作出赔偿。

7 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

8 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

9 tighten   

v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧

参考例句：

• Turn the screw to the right to tighten it.向右转动螺钉把它拧紧。
• Some countries tighten monetary policy to avoid inflation.一些国家实行紧缩银根的货币政策，以避免通货膨胀。

10 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

11 converged   

v.（线条、运动的物体等）会于一点( converge的过去式 )；（趋于）相似或相同；人或车辆汇集；聚集

参考例句：

• Thousands of supporters converged on London for the rally. 成千上万的支持者从四面八方汇聚伦敦举行集会。
• People converged on the political meeting from all parts of the city. 人们从城市的四面八方涌向这次政治集会。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 enacting   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Generally these statutes apply only to wastes from reactors outside the enacting state. 总之，这些法令只适宜用在对付那些来自外州的核废料。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• In addition, the complexion of enacting standards for live working is described. 另外，介绍了带电作业标准的制订情况。

13 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

14 plummeted   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Share prices plummeted to an all-time low. 股票价格暴跌到历史最低点。
• A plane plummeted to earth. 一架飞机一头栽向地面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 vacancy   

n.（旅馆的）空位，空房，（职务的）空缺

参考例句：

• Her going on maternity leave will create a temporary vacancy.她休产假时将会有一个临时空缺。
• The vacancy of her expression made me doubt if she was listening.她茫然的神情让我怀疑她是否在听。

16 obsolescence   

n.过时，陈旧，废弃

参考例句：

• For some small unproductive mills,the reality is not merger but obsolescence and bankruptcy.对一些效率低下的小厂而言，现实不是合并，而是可能被淘汰和破产。
• Finally,the cost approach can provide a basis for allocating penalties,specifically economic obsolescence.最后，成本法可作为一个分配因陈旧特别是因经济

17 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

18 dilemma   

n.困境，进退两难的局面

参考例句：

• I am on the horns of a dilemma about the matter.这件事使我进退两难。
• He was thrown into a dilemma.他陷入困境。

19 rental   

n.租赁，出租，出租业

参考例句：

• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。
• We can organise car rental from Chicago O'Hare Airport.我们可以安排提供从芝加哥奥黑尔机场出发的租车服务。

20 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

21 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

22 denser   

adj. 不易看透的, 密集的, 浓厚的, 愚钝的

参考例句：

• The denser population necessitates closer consolidation both for internal and external action. 住得日益稠密的居民，对内和对外都不得不更紧密地团结起来。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• As Tito entered the neighbourhood of San Martino, he found the throng rather denser. 蒂托走近圣马丁教堂附近一带时，发现人群相当密集。

23 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

24 meteoric   

adj.流星的，转瞬即逝的，突然的

参考例句：

• In my mind,losing weight is just something meteoric.在我眼中，减肥不过是昙花一现的事情。
• His early career had been meteoric.他的早期生涯平步青云。

25 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

26 displacement   

n.移置，取代，位移，排水量

参考例句：

• They said that time is the feeling of spatial displacement.他们说时间是空间位移的感觉。
• The displacement of all my energy into caring for the baby.我所有精力都放在了照顾宝宝上。