Az Democrats propose rent control bills amid ongoing housing crisis
In the wake of a 21 percent increase in homelessness from 2020 to 2022 in Arizona, two Democratic state representatives introduced four bills to hamstring property owners. One would repeal a state law banning rent control, another would cap rent increases at 10 percent, still another would mandate a five-day grace period on rents and more. Yet another would ban property owners from considering source of income when renting, which already was shot down by the state’s attorney general last year. Rep. Analise Ortiz and Rep. Judy Schweibert say these are immediate ways to provide renters relief, but Courtney Gilstrap LeVinus, executive director of the Arizona Multihousing Association, notes bills like these curtail the rights of property owners and have been shown to disincentivize new building, citing a recent rent control law in St. Paul, Minn., that backfired. “The irony is, this policy would end up hurting the people advocates say they want to help by limiting housing accessibility and affordability,” she said.
