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101 Wash. U. L. Rev. 553 (2023-2024)
Corporate Consolidation of Rental Housing & the Case for National Rent Stabilization

handle is hein.journals/walq101 and id is 558 raw text is: CORPORATE CONSOLIDATION OF RENTAL HOUSING & THE CASE FOR NATIONAL RENT STABILIZATION BRANDON WEISS* ABSTRACT Rental housing in the United States is increasingly owned by corporate landlords that operate under a different set of incentives, behind a level of anonymity previously unavailable, and pursuant to practices that often exacerbate an already precarious housing landscape for tenants. Market- sensitive and nuanced rent stabilization laws have reemerged at the state and local level as a viable policy option to help regulate escalating rents and prevent tenant displacement. These laws, when well drafted, can address outdated critiques of strict rent caps and can complement alternative approaches, like those of the politically popular Yes In My Backyard (YIMBY) movement, which advocates for reducing regulatory barriers to new housing development. While historically the province of state and local governments, this Essay argues that there is a robust role-on both the legislative and executive fronts forfederal involvement in the implementation of rent stabilization nationwide. The Essay critiques the recently released White House Blueprintfor a Tenant Bill of Rights as largely illusory, examines historical precedentfor congressional authorization of rent regulation and, short of action by Congress, considers how the President could leverage federal financial assistance and fair housing law to provide incentives for states and localities to pass rent stabilization laws. * Professor of Law, American University Washington College of Law. I would like to thank Michael Lens, K-Sue Park, Tara Raghuveer, Thomas Silverstein, Nicole Summers, Marie Claire Tran- Leung, and the participants of the 2023 Association of Law, Property & Society Annual Conference for their incredibly helpful comments on this project. I am deeply indebted to Riley Steele for outstanding research assistance. I am also grateful to Blake Himebaugh, Alissa Gilmer, and the editors of the Washington University Law Review for their thoughtful comments. 553

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