Before admonishing cities to step up and solve our housing crisis, Gov. Spencer Cox should prioritize repealing existing state laws that directly hinder cities’ ability to expand and stabilize housing at affordable prices. Utah has a statewide ban on municipal rent control (Title 57 Chapter 20).
I wasn’t here in 2006 when the statute was last amended, but I am assuming that it was enacted as part of the long narrative of proactive slaps in the face to Salt Lake City, this time as it tried to head off the crisis we are now facing. It is interesting that the 2020 repeal attempt (HB0131) is located in the “House file for bills not passed.” In other words, the Utah Association of Realtors, oops – I mean, the Legislature, just laughed.
Privately owned rental properties must be subject to legal limits on the power of the owner over the tenants, including when and how much the rent can legally be raised. We need a state mandated lease form that spells out the rights, not only the obligations, of tenants and landlords alike.
Tenants must be able to refuse rent increases above 3-4%, and 12-month leases should be set to renew as default, rather than reverting to month-to-month.
We also need serious curbs on house-flipping and cash bidding wars. These are some of the main drivers of inflation nationwide, but particularly in Utah. Finder’s fees, lease initiation fees, and “administrative fees” of all sorts beyond the headlined rent must be banned. The rent itself is the administrative fee, and landlord operating expenses are not tenants’ concern.
All cities that are consistently liveable have rent control. It is a matter of protecting the sacred liberty of low- to middle-income residents to make a living, support families, and pursue their creative dreams and opportunities. Freedom!
Loren Carle, Salt Lake City
