New Yorkers, including union activists, members of the New York State Tenant Bloc, gathered outside the LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, New York City, on May 7, 2026, to demand a rent freeze on rent-stabilized apartments. | Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images As America’s housing crisis deepens, policymakers are increasingly turning to an old idea for improving affordability: making large rent increases illegal. In recent years. Oregon, Washington, and California have enacted