Housing Supply Dynamics under Rent Control: What Can Evictions Tell Us?

Authors

Brian J. Asquith, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment ResearchFollow

Upjohn Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5783-5557

Publication Date

5-2019

Abstract

Measuring how rent-controlled landlords change their housing supply in response to rent increases is difficult, because new construction is automatically exempt. This paper explores evictions as a barometer for landlords' willingness to return their units to market when prices increase using San Francisco data. I find no evidence that controlled landlords turnover existing tenants to return their units to market, and some evidence they instead withdraw individual units. I also look at other ways of exiting controls, and find that small landlords are 54 percent more likely to first apply to condo-convert when condo prices rise 5.4 percent.

Publisher

American Economic Association

DOI

10.1257/pandp.20191025

Issue Date

May 2019

Subject Areas

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT; Regional policy and planning