Status Updates From Basic Economics: A Common S...

When honest landlords stand to lose money under rent control, while dishonest landlords can still make a profit, it is virtually inevitable that the property will pass from the former to the latter.

Shrewd and unscrupulous landlords have made virtually a science out of milking a rent controlled building by neglecting maintenance and repairs, defaulting on mortgage payments, falling behind in the payment of taxes, and then finally letting the building become the property of the city by default. Then they move on to complete the same destructive process with other rent controlled buildings.

In New York City, landlord arsons became so common that the city responded with special welfare allowances. For a while, burned out tenants were moved to the top of the list for coveted public housing. That gave tenants an incentive to burn down their buildings—they did, often moving television sets and furniture out onto the sidewalk before starting the fire.

#rentcontrol

Those who create incentives toward widespread dishonesty by promoting laws which make honest behavior financially impossible are often among the most indignant at the dishonesty, and the least likely to regard themselves as in any way responsible for it.

One example -> rent control laws