Source: PolicyLink | July 2025
In recent months, deliberate attacks on democracy have reduced federal agencies’ capacity to enforce laws critical to housing and human rights, and the repeal of hard-fought consumer protections has made everyone increasingly vulnerable to predatory and profit-seeking corporate tendencies. Yet in rural communities and cities in every corner of the country, organizers are calling for rent control to protect tenants from skyrocketing rents and combat the unchecked profiteering taking over communities.
Leveraging this powerful yet underutilized tool could have tremendous impact: if rent control were to become a reality in the 45 states without existing policies, 31.5 million additional renter households would be stabilized. Of the households who stand to benefit from expanding rent control, 19.7 million (or 60 percent) would be low-income, and 14.7 million (or 47 percent) would be households of color. Expanding rent control would not only empower tenants but lift up communities and help advance racial and economic justice.
PolicyLink partnered with Popular Democracy in Action and Right to the City to develop a report — and supporting briefs — that serve as a toolkit for any group of organizers or advocates who are starting—or continuing— campaigns for rent control. Written by a team of tenant organizers, policy advocates, lawyers, and researchers, it affirms what the housing justice movement has argued for decades: that reliance on the private market alone—and, more importantly, deregulation—will not solve our growing affordable housing needs or even help replace the rapid loss of lower-rent housing. Furthermore, it offers robust data, policy guidance, strategic thinking, and on-the-ground learnings to support campaigns seeking pathways to build power for rent control and beyond.
The comprehensive report covers key topics such as:
- Guide to Winning Rent Control
- What is Rent Control?
- Understanding the Battleground
- Why Rent Control
- Inoculation Toolkit: Responses to Common Arguments Against Rent Control
You can download the full report here
