Do studies show that rent control always reduces the supply of rental housing?
The effect of rent control on rental-housing supply appears to vary with local circumstances, as studies show no consistent pattern.
A 2015 study found that rent control in New Jersey "did not exert any statistically significant effects on their communities’ housing markets." A 2007 study found that the state's rent control laws "actually increased the supply of rental housing by incentivizing landlords to subdivide larger rental units."
A 2007 study found that rent control in Boston "did encourage owners to shift units away from rental status" by making it more profitable to build housing for sale or convert existing rentals for sale. A 2009 study found that rent control in San Francisco encouraged landlords to "reduce rental housing supplies by 15% by selling to owner-occupants and redeveloping buildings."