rent control

noun

: government regulation of the amount charged as rent for housing and often also of eviction

rent-controlled

ˈrent-kən-ˈtrōld 

adjective

Examples of rent control in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Free childcare, free bus service, free city-run grocery stores, rent control extended into perpetuity, free whatever surfaces in the next focus group. — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2026

As with rent control, abolishing or capping property taxes addresses one symptom of the problem while exacerbating the underlying disease. — M. Nolan Gray, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2026

Locked in a tight re-election campaign against a democratic socialist, Smiley vetoed a rent control bill passed by the Providence City Council in April. — Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026

In 2019, California passed a rent control bill that caps annual rent increases at 5% plus the change in the cost of living, or 10%, whichever is lower. — Stephanie Lam, Mercury News, 29 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for rent control

• amphibole
• asystole
• buttonhole
• casserole
• centriole
• decontrol
• glycerol
• metropole
• monopole
• multipole
• omeprazole
• oriole

Legal Definition

rent control

noun

: government regulation of the amount charged as rent for housing and often also of eviction

rent-controlled adjective