Many U.S. cities have rent control laws. They are extremely important in some real estate markets, particularly New York City.
Cambridge, Massachusetts repealed its rent control laws in the 1990s.
New York's rent control law is published in the "Unconsolidated Laws" volume of McKinney's Consolidated Laws of New York Annotated at §26-401 et seq., which follows §8617. Good sources of information about the law include the Rent Guidelines Board's Web site (www.housingnyc.com) and the Fact Sheets posted on the New York Division of Housing and Community Renewal's Web site (www.dhcr.state.ny.us).
For questions, call the DHCR, the Rent Guidelines Board or the Real Estate Board.