The Providence City Council is drafting a rent stabilization ordinance to be introduced this fall, following a report about the state of the city’s housing market authored by the City Council’s Housing Crisis Task Force.
The City Council will “likely” introduce the ordinance in the coming weeks, Councilor Miguel Sanchez (Ward 6) said in an interview with The Herald. The ordinance will include an annual rent increase cap, he added, but exact numbers have yet to be determined.
The HCTF’s report outlines recommendations for a rent stabilization policy, which would require landlords to provide a 90-day notice of any rent increases, among other measures. It recommends carving out exemptions for small landlords.
Cities like Portland, Maine, where the rent cap is tied to the consumer price index, were singled out as successful models of rent stabilization in the report.
The HCTF recommendations come amid the city’s dramatic rent increases over recent years.
With a 12.6% rent increase from December 2023 to December 2024, Providence was named the least affordable city for renters in the United States by real estate brokerage firm Redfin.
The Providence City Council has been discussing a rent stabilization ordinance “for a couple of years now,” said Sanchez, a supporter of the proposed ordinance. But this is the first time a rent stabilization bill will be formally introduced, according to Sanchez.
“The fact that stabilization has never been heard in the Providence City Council chambers is a disservice to the people that we serve,” he added.
But Mayor Brett Smiley has previously spoken out against rent stabilization, arguing that Providence’s housing crisis is a supply-side issue. Instead, he is looking to “invest in and incentivize long-term affordable housing solutions,” Smiley wrote in an email to The Herald.
“I share the deep concern about the rising cost of rent in Providence, however, examples of rent stabilization in other communities have shown us that this is not the right solution,” he wrote, specifically citing an increase in construction when Cambridge, Massachusetts repealed their rent control in 1994.
Nicholas Clampitt ’26, an advocacy lead and outreach worker for the student-led organization Housing Opportunities for People Everywhere, believes Smiley is likely to veto the proposed rent stabilization ordinance based on his previous statements.
A mayoral veto means the council will need a 10-vote super majority to pass the ordinance, according to Sanchez. The results of the upcoming Ward 2 election, taking place on Dec. 2, could solidify a super majority that would override Smiley’s likely veto.
At a forum last week, Ward 2 candidates were divided over the issue of rent stabilization.
Alex Brito ’26 expressed support for rent stabilization alongside fellow candidate Jill Davidson ’89. Candidates Jeff Levy and Dave Caldwell cautioned against stabilization, and both echoed Smiley’s solution of building more housing.
Providence renters are bearing the brunt of the rental crisis, with 46% of renters classified as cost-burdened according to HousingWorks RI, a housing policy and research organization.
Sanchez said rent stabilization is needed to prevent residents from choosing between “whether they’re going to be able to pay their rent or buy food.”
But opponents of rent stabilization argue the policy is incompatible with Providence’s housing climate.
David Baskin, a landlord with multiple properties on College Hill, believes rent stabilization would be “detrimental,” as it would “discourage new construction.”
“Our investors will actually dry up and go somewhere else” if rent stabilization is implemented, Baskin said.
Increased off-campus student housing demand is contributing to rental pressures, the HCTF reported.
“Fox Point used to be geared to long-term residents, but now it’s really marketed to student populations,” said Raymond Neirinckx, housing commission coordinator in the R.I. Executive Office of Housing.
Clampitt acknowledged this trend, saying “we must realize that the people who do live here are inevitably impacted by our existence here.”
