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  • Comment Detail

  • Date: 07/28/23
    First Name: Stephanie
    Last Name: Pascal
    Email: urbanbird@sonic.net
    Organization Type: N/A
    Organization: Self/none

  • Comment

    I'm writing in with feedback on your RFI re: federal-level tenant protections and to share my personal experiences as both a tenant (17 years, largely in a rent-controlled area) and housing provider (2 units only, always in a rent-controlled area). Because I have the perspective from both sides I can absolutely agree with the studies you quoted that *some* housing providers can/will take advantage and illegally pursue evictions...but what is needed is controls on THEM and not those of us who follow the law and are exploited by TENANTS. I have observed, increasingly, a direct link between rent control and strict tenant protections to higher costs of living. In other words, it's become so increasingly clear that every time a local jurisdiction enforces strict rent controls, the housing providers respond by removing units from the market or increasing their costs to cover their risk. I used to blindly believe in this, but since then, I have changed my mind. Concrete examples include dear friends who've been FORCED OUT of their OWN homes by unsafe tenants taking advantage of strict protection laws; acquaintances who have experienced same and/or violence and extreme expense to remove violent/mentally ill people from their properties who threaten them and other tenants there; my own six-figure-earning tenant who simply decided to rearrange my house (like literally removing fixtures and hardware) and smoked on a strict nonsmoking lease and stopped paying rent but was completely protected by the one-size-fits-all Covid protections that lasted, btw, 41 months in my area. I'm terrified to have this happen again and took a $25k hit, while that same tenant is now enjoying life overseas while I clean up her damages.

    I strongly believe in housing FAIRNESS. But the FAIRNESS equation has gotten completely out of balance in my area. Nothing at all is fair to landlords at all, and it can cost us our homes, health, mortgages, and more to combat bad-faith tenants. An eviction can cost $25-100k, whereas in other states/cities it can cost hundreds.

    I caution and warn any kind of blanket protective measure that hurts us small housing providers. What you really should target is REITs, corporations, and companies that buy up housing as speculation. Not just us regular people who live in our communities.