Liquidation of Rent Controls

Report Outline
Rent Control Legislation of House and Senate Bills
Rent Control Experience in Two Wars
Failure to Solve Postwar Rental Housing Problem

Rent Control Legislation of House and Senate Bills

Federal Control of rents throughout the United States would end on March 31, 1948, at the latest, under rent-control legislation approved by the House, May 1, by the close vote of 205 to 182. The bill would extend present controls, with various modifications, until Dec. 31, 1947, and would give authority to the President to continue them for an additional three months if he finds such action necessary. A companion bill, now awaiting action by the Senate, would continue rent controls until Feb. 29, 1948, with no provision for any further extension.

During consideration of the legislation in the House, amendments to terminate all rent controls on next June 30 and to raise rent ceilings by a flat 10 per cent were rejected by non-record votes. But the bill granted other important concessions to landlords and builders by allowing 15 per cent rent increases, in exchange for long-term leases, and terminating substantially all federal controls imposed by the Veterans' Emergency Housing Act of 1946, It provides:

That rent controls shall be removed at once from all newly-constructed housing, from housing made available through remodeling, and from housing not rented between January, 1945, and February, 1947;