Social policy or crowding-out? Tenant protection in comparative long-run perspective

Private rental markets have become increasingly important since the Global Financial Crisis 2008–2009 and rent controls are back on political agenda. Yet, they received less attention from housing scholars than homeownership public housing. This paper presents new data development of private tenancy legislation based a content-coding control, protection tenants eviction, rationing laws across more 15 countries 100 years. long-run perspective allows for inquiring about dynamic effects control rise as dominant tenure during twentieth century. We find that both regulation measures were followed by increases decreases rentals. suggest was not just produced generous subsidies or dream, but also through push-effect crowding out units.