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Ep 15: Should Cities Cap Rents?

Fact-check
Fast lane · decision due by Tue 29 Sep, 09:12 BST · first response met, Sam replied in 2 h 28 min
Reply to reviewersEdit and resubmit
  1. Submitted · DoneYou28 Sep 09:12
  2. In review · DoneSam Okoye, editor28 Sep 11:40 · 2 required changes
  3. Fact-check · Current stepPriya Shah, fact-checkerIn progress · 12/18 claims checked
  4. 4Approved · Not startedSam Okoye
  5. 5Scheduled · Not startedYou asked for 1 Oct, 07:00 BST
  6. 6Published · Not startedFollowers notified

Feedback summary

3 required4 suggestions · 7 comment threads
Sam OkoyeEditor28 Sep 11:52

Strong piece. The supply argument is clear and the steelman is fair to the other side. Two things before it goes out: give the Findings figure its date range, and say in Limitations that the main study covers one city. I’ve sent it to fact-check at the same time so you don’t lose a day.

Priya ShahFact-checker28 Sep 13:05 · still checking

Claims 1–12 checked. Ten hold up. Claim 3 needs the underlying data rather than a news report, and claim 5 describes the survey question wrongly. I’ll finish the last six this afternoon.

Required changes

3 open · 1 resolved · you can resubmit once each one is resolved or has your reply
2 still need a reply or a fix
  • Open
    Add the date range to the rent figure in FindingsOn “rents on covered units rose [X] points less than the city average” · Findings ¶2 · Sam, editor
    Open thread
  • Open
    Say in Limitations that the main study covers one cityOn the Limitations section · Sam, editor · You replied 12:30: “Adding a line on San Francisco and why it may not generalise.”
    Open thread
  • Open
    Claim 3: link the underlying data, not the news reportFrom fact-check · Priya, fact-checker · see claim 3 below
    Fix source
  • Resolved
    Shorten the dek to 110 characters or fewerSam, editor · resolved by you, 28 Sep 12:20 · now 96 characters
    View

Fact-check results

12 of 18 claims checked
  1. 1
    “Landlords covered by the 1994 expansion cut the supply of rental housing they offered by 15%.”Diamond, McQuade, Qian · American Economic Review · 2019 · Archived ↗
    Verified
  2. 2
    “Tenants who were covered were more likely to still live at the same address years later.”Diamond, McQuade, Qian · American Economic Review · 2019 · Archived ↗
    Verified
  3. 3
    “Average rents in the city rose [X]% in the five years after the cap.”[Headline of news report] · [OUTLET] · 2018 · Not archived
    Priya: The report doesn’t say where the figure comes from. Link the city rent board data or census figures it’s based on, or remove the number.
    Needs better source
  4. 4
    “The 1994 ballot measure extended rent control to small multi-family buildings built before 1980.”Diamond, McQuade, Qian · American Economic Review · 2019 · Archived ↗
    Verified
  5. 5
    “Every economist surveyed said rent caps push rents up.”IGM Forum expert panel · Chicago Booth · 2012 · Archived ↗
    Priya: The panel was asked whether rent control has improved affordability, not whether it raises rents, and not every panellist answered. Reword the sentence to match the question they were asked.
    Incorrect
  6. 13
    “Rent-controlled buildings were more likely to be converted to condos.”Diamond, McQuade, Qian · American Economic Review · 2019
    Not yet checked
Showing 6 of 18 · verified claims 6–12 and unchecked 14–18 hidden