Denise Forman Gaines is the president of the Delaware Association of Realtors.
Recently in Delaware, we saw two very different visions for addressing the state’s housing challenges.
In Wilmington on Feb. 26, Gov. Matt Meyer signed an executive order to streamline state permitting for critical infrastructure, including housing development, energy generation, mixed-use projects, broadband expansion and water and wastewater systems. The order preserves local land use authority, while reducing unnecessary delays at the state level.
At the same time in Dover, a housing roundtable focused largely on a proposed rent stabilization pilot program promoted by Rep. Larry Lambert, D-Claymont, and similar to legislation introduced in 2024. The discussion featured multiple tenant advocacy organizations and extended speaking time for rent control supporters, while including only one landlord perspective. The key operational and financial realities of providing rental housing were largely absent.
The contrast between the two events was clear. One focused on policies intended to increase housing production. The other promoted a price-control framework that does nothing to create new housing.
Research consistently shows that rent control and rent stabilization discourage private investment, reduce new housing construction, limit reinvestment in property maintenance and, ultimately, worsen supply shortages. In July 2024, a coalition of national real estate organizations warned then-President Joe Biden that rent control policies “reduce housing supply, distort markets and harm the very households they are intended to help.” That warning remains relevant today.
Data also highlights why increasing supply is the real solution. According to local reporting, Wilmington apartment rents have fallen 8% since January 2025. Rents respond to market conditions. As supply stabilizes and demand adjusts, prices moderate. Artificial caps do not address root causes; increased production does.
Cities that have implemented rent control offer cautionary examples. In St. Paul, Minnesota, aggressive rent control contributed to a sharp slowdown in housing permits and stalled development, prompting officials to later weaken the policy to encourage construction. In New York City, decades of rent regulation have coincided with persistent housing shortages and deteriorating building conditions in regulated units. San Francisco and Los Angeles have similarly struggled with reduced inventory and long-term supply constraints, following expansions of rent control policies.
Delaware cannot regulate its way out of a housing shortage. We must build our way out.
As president of the Delaware Association of Realtors, representing more than 4,000 members, I can say we remain committed to real solutions. We support policies that expand housing production, protect private property rights and promote long-term affordability through growth, rather than restriction.
We welcome the opportunity to participate in any forum or workgroup focused on meaningful housing reform.
Collaboration among policymakers, developers, property owners and housing advocates is essential to expanding affordable housing opportunities in Delaware.
Increasing housing supply moves Delaware forward. Rent stabilization moves us backward.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
