To: President Donald Trump, The United States House of Representatives, and The United States Senate
Support Fair Rent
It is time to demand a cap on basic living space rental cost. As a baseline, the cost of a small efficiency or one-bedroom should fall between 30%-50% of a local full-time minimum wage earner. The 30%-50% range accounts for variations in quality of space: basic, metropolitan, or luxury, for example, with a cap on the highest value small efficiency or one-bedroom at 50% of minimum wage for that area.
Why is this important?
Hardworking people are being driven from their homes or working 80+ hours in order to barely survive. Rental cost controls should be based on demographic regional data and basic quality of life measurements. If the minimum wage is $7.50 per hour before taxes, that totals $1,200 per month, so a small efficiency or one-bedroom should be between $400-$600 per month. Online tools already exist for renters and tenants to rate each other, which may include both subjective and non-subjective sections.