Rent control is both controversial and politically popular.Jim Lapides, with the National Multifamily Housing Council, tracked 19 state legislatures that had rent control proposals this year — nearly all of them to expand it. Combined with local measures, he says it’s the most he’s seen in working on the issue for a decade.

Lapides understands the appeal of what seems like a quick, easy fix, but says this is not it. “It’s a shame, because rent control attempts to address the symptoms of the problem while making the core issue worse,” he says. Read article.