Landlords who choose to increase rents at the maximum rate permitted each year do so at the risk that they will be undercut by competing property owners who do not do so. Given this, I think that your property management company is offering you bad advice.
Most landlords already increase rents at the maximum rate that the market will bear. Capping annual increases at 7% just ensures that in a year when the market would allow landlords to get away with increasing rents by over 7%, they won't be able to do so.
I do not follow when you say that the strategy of increasing rents by the maximum amount permissible is necessary "because larger adjustments cannot be made if and when necessary due to market conditions". In what scenario would larger adjustments be necessary? If you made a viable investment in a property and are currently renting it out, wouldn't rent increases just need to equal inflation in order for you to maintain the same level of profitability? Sure, increasing by more than inflation allows you to increase profits, but I hardly see why maximizing profits should be seen as a necessity---especially when it comes at the cost of pushing people out onto the streets.
>Landlords who choose to increase rents at the maximum rate permitted each year do so at the risk that they will be undercut by competing property owners who do not do so.
Price ceilings (even non-binding ones) can create market power for suppliers by providing a focal point for tacit collusion.
That’s how large corporations behave, but what the OP is voicing is a common sentiment for smaller investors or people doing landlording as a side gig or housing hack to financial independence.
If the market can support it, these laws guarantee the maximum increase. If the market cannot, well you are already at the top of the market aren’t you? So no benefit here.
>>> If you made a viable investment in a property and are currently renting it out, wouldn't rent increases just need to equal inflation in order for you to maintain the same level of profitability?
Not necessarily - taxes on property owners don't follow inflation. They may go up greatly compared with inflation.
>>> I hardly see why maximizing profits should be seen as a necessity---especially when it comes at the cost of pushing people out onto the streets.
Because if don't allow it to be profitable people won't do it. Particularly in California it can be quite risky the rent out a property. It's an extremely tenant friendly location, so much so that evictions for major infractions can take several months, or in some cases years.
In Chicago, a lot of multi-units (2+ flats) are converted to single large SFH, so the net effect could be worse especially if prices were to go down that it would be attainable to do that.
Interesting! I wonder about the economics of that?
Do they just knock down a wall in the middle? Or is there any new construction involved? (Usually the developer wants to go for higher intensity to sell more units per land.)
One example I could imagine is that a landlord may not want to raise rents significantly on a long-term reliable tenant, but would want to increase rents when the reliable tenant leaves. “Market price” probably doesn’t include the cost risks of having a nightmare tenant.
Most landlords already increase rents at the maximum rate that the market will bear. Capping annual increases at 7% just ensures that in a year when the market would allow landlords to get away with increasing rents by over 7%, they won't be able to do so.
I do not follow when you say that the strategy of increasing rents by the maximum amount permissible is necessary "because larger adjustments cannot be made if and when necessary due to market conditions". In what scenario would larger adjustments be necessary? If you made a viable investment in a property and are currently renting it out, wouldn't rent increases just need to equal inflation in order for you to maintain the same level of profitability? Sure, increasing by more than inflation allows you to increase profits, but I hardly see why maximizing profits should be seen as a necessity---especially when it comes at the cost of pushing people out onto the streets.