Would you support rent control to help stabilize Miami’s housing market? Vote on our poll
Soaring home rents displaced many Miami-Dade County residents this year, as the housing affordability gap between middle-class and wealthy people continued to widen.
In our latest real estate poll, we pose the question to you, our readers: Would you support rent control as a way to help stabilize the housing market.
Miami-Dade County and city of Miami officials declared a state of emergency over housing earlier this year, opening the door to potential drastic measures such as rent control. Florida counties can enact rent control for a year “to eliminate an existing housing emergency which is so grave as to constitute a serious menace to the general public.” Policymakers would need to gain the public’s support through a vote.
We want to hear from readers on this matter. If given a vote, would you support any form of rent control for a year?
READ MORE: Four Miami-Dade professionals who reached ‘tipping point’ describe housing squeeze
VIDEOS: Watch, listen to residents detail financial hardships related to housing costs
Many housing experts and residents have called for rental increase caps and temporary rent freezes. While local policymakers have explored and implemented other tactics, they’ve avoided talking about possible rent control — likely because it would almost certainly become a lightning rod for disagreement that could divert attention from the housing affordability crisis that threatens to dismantle the South Florida economy.
Here’s some context on the severe home rental crunch: Rents increased 27% annually across the board in Miami-Dade, when comparing Zumper’s October rental data to 2021. Some oceanfront areas have experienced annual jumps of 115% earlier this year.
This housing quandary, which started before the pandemic but has worsened since it emerged in March 2020, has affected a wide swath of the county, from the lower-income hospitality and personal services workers to college-educated and mid-career professionals. Thousands have been evicted or displaced from native neighborhoods or where they’ve lived for many years. And it’s spilled into the labor market, making it difficult for many companies to hire and retain workers as they’ve relocated within the county or outside the area.
This story was originally published December 12, 2022 at 3:41 PM.
