I support the rent stabilization bills that are being considered in Olympia this session, House Bill 1217 and Senate Bill 5222, because they offer a commonsense, moderate approach to the kind of rent gouging I have faced here in Clark County (“Rent control won’t solve state’s housing crisis,” In Our View, Jan. 22).
In recent sessions, lawmakers have made significant investments to encourage the construction of more housing across our state, but so far they have not created predictable housing stability for the nearly 40 percent of households who rent in Washington.
Housing policy experts and recent studies have shown little evidence that limiting rent increases leads to less housing construction. And both of these bills would only apply to rental properties that are more than 10 years old. If rent control discourages new housing construction, as critics claim, then why are developers continuing to build so many new units when so many renters can barely afford the ones they have?
We cannot expect to reduce homelessness in our community if renters like me continue to face unaffordable annual rent increases.
