Folks, "rent control" is already available to all renters in Minneapolis and beyond. It is called a long term lease.
If tenants want to know their rents will not increase (or have a set increase schedule), they should look for a landlord offering a long term lease. I will make a public and genuine offer right now. I will enter into a 5 year lease for a 2 bedroom apartment in the Whittier neighborhood for $749 per month. I will incorporate into the lease no provision for rent increases (or decreases) during those 5 years. All increases in costs will be absorbed by me. If you want a 10 or 15 year commitment, I will discuss that with you as well. A lease this long will include an ability to adjust rent to reflect changes in operating expenses. Just call my office at 612-874-1660 to set up an appointment. I will be shocked if I receive any calls on this offer. Never mind that Whittier is coming back strong and I believe most of the risk is mine. What government instituted rent control does is give tenants a contract on what is paid WITHOUT asking them to make any significant commitment to the landlord in return. Does anyone's mortgage company do that? Of course not. All mortgage companies require the buyer to sign a contract promising the world if the borrower does not meet the lender's requirements. Most renters WANT flexibility. That is why they rent. The risk for that flexibility is that their costs are not contained. Pick one: Flexibility or security. If you want security, look for a long term lease or purchase your own home. Ed seems to be focused on keeping rents from doubling or tripling. If the market can absorb such a jump in a short period of time, I would argue that the rents were too low in the first place. When the government starts to regulate a market, weird things often happen. If landlords are limited in how fast rents can go up, I suspect no landlord would pass a year without raising rents -- and if all landlords raise rents at the same speed, tenants would have little choice. I believe we are all better off if the market sets the price for TVs, cars, medical treatments, rents, etc. Regards, Bill Cullen Hopkins & Uptown P.S. No problem Ed. Mistakes happen. Keep the discussion alive and healthy! TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
