#landlord-concerns

#landlord-concerns

When Zohran Mamdani ran for mayor of New York City, he made one promise unmistakably clear: he would freeze the rent. Now that campaign tentpole is poised to collide with the complex economic factors exacerbating the Big Apple's housing affordability crisis. As his administration begins to take shape, that pledge, rooted in a democratic socialist vision of housing as a human right, is likely to be the first major political test for Mamdani.

In Denver, where nearly 27,000 rental units are vacant amid a housing crisis, housing advocates propose a "ghost tax" to incentivize landlords to make these units available and fund affordable housing initiatives. The tax aims to combat the imbalance between empty homes and people in need of housing, but landlords fear it may drive rents up further in an already expensive market. As Colorado grapples with housing affordability issues, advocates believe taxing vacant units could be a crucial solution.