How to Find Rent-Controlled Housing

"Rent control" was created to provide affordable housing in areas where rents tend to be high or to increase rapidly.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Phone Books
• Local Newspapers

1. Call city hall or the local housing authority to determine whether you live in an area with rent-control laws. Find the phone numbers by looking in the government pages of the phone book.
2. Ask about the specifics of the rent-control law and understand how it works. Rules vary from city to city.
3. Determine whether the property you're considering will require costly improvements or repairs in the near future. Such work might be considered a capital improvement and could be used by the landlord to get around rent-control limits.
4. Ask the landlord directly about planned rent increases. If you live in a city without rent-control laws, landlords can raise rents by any amount they think is appropriate.

Tips & Warnings

• Consider subleasing in a rent-controlled area, but check the exact rules and regulations to make sure you qualify to sublease for the current rent rate.
• Rent-control laws apply as long as at least one person who originally signed the lease still occupies the residence. Check local laws to make sure of your rights.
• Landlords do not like rent control and will sometimes do whatever they can to get around the laws.