What Mamdani Can Learn From Cairo About Rent Control

Everyone loves a showman. That’s why when Zohran Mamdani dived fully clothed into the very cold water off Coney Island last New Year’s Eve shouting “I’m freezing ...your rent,” he got himself an awful lot of attention. His plan to block rent increases on around one million New York apartments is now one of his best known— and most popular— policies. It’s also probably one of his worst.

There aren’t many specific policies that come with as much history, and hence as much evidence about their efficacy, as rent controls. They’ve been tried everywhere from Sweden to Scotland over the years— and could even be coming to the UK via a backdoor in the new Renters Rights Bill.