The old timers will tell you: say no to rent control. It doesn’t work the way you hope it will. Why not institute price controls across the board? Why not medical and educational price controls?? It’s a valid question: why not just decree everything has to be affordable? The cascading consequences of price controls are complex and ripple through real people. Those with knowledge, money and power will ultimately benefit most, while the rest will bear the cost. Look at how rent control has played out everywhere in the US, including Boston. It was an unmitigated disaster here.

Many look at Singapore as a good example of government fixing a housing problem but after decades, this is also being reexamined as there have been lots of unintended consequences.