Appeals Court Sides with College Park Rent Control
With the decision, the city can now form its rent stabilization board.
College Park's government leaders will now form a board to examine the fairness of rent within the city limits, after the Maryland Court of Appeals agreed last week that city officials can impose limits on what landlords can charge.
City officials plan to recruit members to the eight-member board "within the next week or two," said District 4 Councilman Marcus Afzali, to ensure that landlords comply with the city's rent stabilization ordinance, which puts caps on the amount of money landlords can charge for rent.
In April, the City Council rejected a proposal to lift the rent restrictions. The landlords eventually filed suit against the city, and that case was brought before the Maryland appeals court in May. With Wednesday's decision, the city is now allowed to put rent caps on the city's landlords.
"The highest court in Maryland has ruled in our favor, and now we can move forward," Afzali said. As for backlash from landlords, "we'll have to see what happens," he added.
City Councilman Patrick L. Wojahn (Dist. 1) agreed. "It was the right decision to make," Wojahn said, adding that one resident has already expressed an interest in joining the board.
The problem, Afzali added, was that property owners would purchase multiple homes within city limits, turn them into rentals, and hike up the rent to unaffordable rates for University of Maryland students. Therefore, he said, city officials saw dwindling numbers of full-time renters.
Last year, The Sage Policy Group conducted a study on College Park's rent control, saying that the city has a rational basis for stabilizing rent, especially since homeownership continues to falter. Rent stabilization is a means of spurring homeownership in College Park, and discouraging residents from converting their homes into rental units.
The board, according to city information, will ensure that city landlords comply with the rent stablization ordinance, determine and set rent levels, require registration on all rental units, and report to the mayor and city council the status of all rental units in College Park. The board could also remove rent controls within the city.
Ryan Moore
6:16 pm on Wednesday, September 1, 2010
I'd like to hear a little more about the thinking behind this. For instance:
"The problem, Afzali added, was that property owners would purchase multiple homes within city limits, turn them into rentals, and hike up the rent to unaffordable rates for University of Maryland students. Therefore, he said, city officials saw dwindling numbers of full-time renters."
That doesn't make sense to me. We have to stop landlords from charging rents so high that they can't get anyone to rent?
Marcus Afzali
1:34 am on Friday, September 3, 2010
I think he just got confused with what I was saying. We are seeing an increase in rental properties and a decrease in residential properties. I don't know what a full-time renter is even.
pol
7:50 pm on Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Rent control has been in force in a number of major American cities for many decades. The best-known example is New York, which still retains rent controls from the temporary price controls imposed during World War II. But this policy, meant to assist poorer residents, harms far more citizens than it helps, benefits the better-off, and limits the freedom of all citizens.
A look at the classified ads in rent-controlled cities reveals that very few moderately priced rental units are actually available. Most advertised units are priced well above the actual median rent. Yet in cities without controls, moderately priced units are universally available.
In many cities, policymakers understand that controls drive out residents and businesses. Thus many exempt significant portions of housing from controls, creating shadow markets. Yet as controls hold down rents for some units, costs for all other rental housing skyrockets. And tenants in rent-controlled units fear moving to more desirable neighborhoods since the only units available for rent are very high-priced.
But the trend in recent years has been toward removal of rent control. The repeal of controls in Massachusetts, for example, did not lead to the widespread evictions and hardships that some predicted. The lesson for the rest of the country is that rent control is policy that never was justified and certainly should be scrapped.
Stringfellow
1:42 pm on Thursday, October 28, 2010
I think Marcus Afzali got confused by logic and common sense. I think Marcus Afzali is a two-bit hack who succumbed to lobbying pressures from developers.
Stringfellow
1:46 pm on Thursday, October 28, 2010
Time to vote out the anti-small business patsies. Afzali, Wojahn, who else? Post the names of all these idiots here.
Marcus Afzali
4:54 pm on Thursday, October 28, 2010
Lobbying pressures from developers? I can't think of a single developer who has ever mentioned the words "rent control" to me. But if you're ever interesting in discussing your views and opinions on an issue in College Park I'm more than happy to grab a coffee with anyone and talk about city issues. Feel free to email me at mafzali@collegeparkmd.gov and set up a meeting to talk about your concerns. And for the record I'm no two-bit hack...I'm a first class hack all the way. :-)