# Rent Regulation: Balance between Private Landlords and Tenants in Six European Countries (May 2008) * **Rent regulation: the balance between private landlords and tenants in six European countries** * By Marietta Haffner, Marja Elsinga and Joris Hoekstra. Published online in the European Journal of Housing Policy on 29 May 2008 * * **Abstract**: * The private rental sector has been declining in many European countries. * In describing the decline of the private rental sector, it is often suggested that a causal relationship exists between the decrease in private renting and rent control. * The assumption is that the stricter the form of rent control, the greater the decrease in private renting levels. Or, conversely, that with fewer rent controls there are more opportunities for the private rental sector. * At the same time, however, an unregulated rental market may result in insecurity for tenants. * **This text focuses on conflicts of interest between private landlords and tenants in the regulation of rents**, from a welfare economics viewpoint. * We present **the results of a comparative study that involves France, England, Germany, Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands**. We describe the system of rent regulation in each country. * We conclude that the balance achieved between landlords and tenants as a result of rent regulation may not be as clear-cut as it is often presented to be. * **Keywords**: rent regulation, landlords, tenants, France, England, Germany, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands {% hint style="info" %} Rent regulation has a long history and it has been research and documented. This provides opportunities for solid and evidence-based journalistic accounts of recent and current rent regulation initiatives. {% endhint %} --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://housing-base.journalismarena.eu/access-to-housing/academic-reports-and-papers/rent-regulation-balance-between-private-landlords-and-tenants-in-six-european-countries-may-2008.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.