Research Case
Rebecca Diamond, Tim McQuade, and Franklin Qian, The Effects of Rent Control Expansion on Tenants, Landlords, and Inequality: Evidence from San Francisco, American Economic Review 2019, 109(9): 3365–3394.
Recent paper studies a law extending rent controls in San Francisco:
- Small multi-family buildings built before 1980 were covered by the extension (“treated”)
- Similar buildings built after 1980 were not covered (“untreated”)
Compare outcomes for treated and untreated buildings to estimate the effects of the law.
Results
- Tenants in treated areas more likely to live in San Francisco after 10 years - Rent control reduces displacement
- Landlords in treated areas more likely to convert buildings to condos - Overall decrease in the supply of rental housing
Unclear whether the law improved overall access to affordable housing.