Take Action – Oppose Rent Control in Providence

The Providence City Council has proposed a rent control ordinance that would have a devastating impact on you and our community.

The impacts of this proposal would be felt by every Providence resident. Housing providers, renters, single-family homeowners, contractors, and the unhoused all have something to lose. Rent control will not lower rents and it reduces the housing supply our city urgently needs.

Single-family homeowners are at risk of absorbing substantial tax increases as rent control depresses multifamily property values and slows growth in the city’s tax base. When multifamily values decline, the tax burden shifts onto other property owners. Lost tax revenue also threatens essential city services, schools, public safety, libraries, and more.

Rent control reduces tax revenue and costs millions to implement and enforce. This ordinance would divert scarce city resources away from real solutions. Providence cannot afford policies that risk shrinking the tax base.

The proposed ordinance puts strict caps on rent increases. Over time, rent won’t keep up with rising costs like utilities, insurance, repairs, and financing.

We are in the middle of a housing crisis, but this ordinance fails to address the root problem. Providence does not have enough housing. If this ordinance passes, rental supply will decline and existing buildings will fall into disrepair as property owners struggle to keep up with rising maintenance costs.

In cities where rent control has been enacted, the results have been clear. San Francisco saw roughly a 15% reduction in existing rental housing, while St. Paul and Portland, Maine experienced an immediate and drastic slowdown in new housing production. Studies show that before rent control was repealed in Cambridge, MA it suppressed property values, discouraged investment and maintenance, reduced housing supply, and shrank the city’s property tax base. New York’s rent regulation has similarly contributed to long-term underinvestment in maintenance and renovations, as costs rise faster than allowed rent increases.

Providence must REJECT this harmful proposal and instead pursue proven strategies: thoughtfully increasing housing production and targeted assistance for our most vulnerable residents.

Please submit written testimony below and consider attending the public hearing:

February 18th — Providence City Hall — 5:30 PM

TAKE ACTION NOW and say “NO” to rent control and “YES” to housing.

Dear [Lawmaker],

I am writing to respectfully urge the City Council to reject the proposed rent control ordinance and to consider the long-term consequences it would have for Providence residents.

The ordinance will create serious fiscal consequences for the City. If rent regulation reduces the value of rental properties and slows growth in the tax base, Providence will still need to fund schools, public safety, and city services. That means the burden will increasingly shift onto homeowners and other taxpayers through higher property taxes and fees.

Providence’s affordability challenges are real, but this ordinance is not a balanced solution. It will raise taxes on homeowners, reduce housing upkeep, and make the city’s housing shortage even more severe.

Providence should focus on policies that carefully increase housing supply, support the most vulnerable tenants, without undermining the stability of the rental market. For these reasons, I respectfully urge the Council to oppose this ordinance.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
______

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