This is the fourth in a series on local and state ballot initiatives in 2022. See previous roundups of local and state transportation-related measures and affordable housing-related funding measures.
Ballot measures in several cities and counties throughout the U.S. this November aim to protect renters amid the rising cost of housing. Voters will decide whether to impose rent control measures that limit the amount landlords can raise rents each year and whether to provide free legal services to those getting evicted.
Those measures, plus a flurry of others that raise money to pay for new affordable housing, have focused on the housing affordability crisis in cities throughout the U.S.
About 80 local jurisdictions this election cycle have at least one housing measure on the ballot, said Ben Kelly, a Denver-based public affairs consultant focused on housing development and other issues, who has been tracking such actions since last year’s election cycle.
Some aim to reform a city’s zoning code to allow for the construction of more housing, such as a measure in San Diego that would lift the building height limit in one area.
In general, rent control is a controversial policy that has received fierce pushback from landlords and industry leaders in recent years, who say it reduces the quality and quantity of housing stock.
But such ballot measures that aim to protect renters are part of a “growing realization around the country that rents are going up much faster than incomes, creating [an] increased risk of housing insecurity and homelessness,” Marybeth Shinn, a professor at Vanderbilt University focused on homelessness policies, said in an email.
While these measures aim to help the situation, Shinn said, none will solve the growing trend of large corporate landlords — often with few ties to their communities — buying units to make a profit, which has exacerbated the problem.
Here are some key renter protection measures up for a vote at the city and county levels in November.
- A measure in Pasadena, California, would cap landlords’ ability to raise rents and require them to provide “just cause” to evict tenants.
- In Orange County, Florida, anchored by the city of Orlando, a measure would limit rent hikes for over 100,000 apartments throughout the county for a year.
- A measure in Santa Monica, California, would amend the city’s charter to reduce the maximum amount a landlord is allowed to raise the rent of a rent-controlled unit each year from 6% to 3%.
- Portland, Maine, passed a rent control measure in 2020. Its latest related ballot measure would further restrict the amount a landlord can raise the rent each year and require landlords to give renters more notice for rate increases and lease termination.
- A ballot measure in Denver would impose a $75 per rental unit annual excise tax to fund free legal services for those facing evictions.
