Rent control laws limit the amount a landlord can increase rents on existing tenants. Most states have laws that prohibit local governments from enacting rent control measures. But over 180 municipalities in the United States have rent control measures—and all of them are located in California, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Washington, D.C.

The state of Oregon has a statewide rent control law that limits annual rent increases to 7% plus the increase in the consumer price index.

In New York, rent control laws are designed to keep housing affordable for tenants by limiting the amount landlords can increase rent. New York City has a long history with rent control, and it is one of the most prominent cities in the United States with such regulations. The state has two forms of regulation: rent control and rent stabilization. Rent control applies to buildings constructed before February 1947 in New York City, where tenants have been continuously living since before July 1, 1971. Rent stabilization, on the other hand, covers many other apartments in New York City as well as some in other parts of the state, typically in buildings with six or more units built between February 1947 and January 1974. The New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) sets the guidelines for rent increases in these regulated apartments. Additionally, in 2019, New York passed the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act, which strengthened tenant protections and made it more difficult for landlords to increase rents and remove apartments from regulation. Unlike Oregon's statewide rent control, New York's regulations are more localized and complex, with specific rules varying by location and type of housing.