New York City is going to do it, again.

Mayor Bill de Blasio appears poised to deliver on a campaign promise to freeze rents for more than one million tenants protected by New York City’s rent-stabilization laws.

Both landlord and tenants leaders said they expect the Rent Guidelines Board to approve the freeze, affecting one-year apartment leases beginning on or after Oct 1, on Monday….

Never mind that

…an annual report showed that landlord operating costs only rose 0.5% due to falling fuel prices. Excluding volatile fuel costs, overall costs rose 3.6%.

Why would anyone want to rent in this environment? How are landlords supposed to afford maintenance—cosmetic or needed—if they’re not allowed to raise rents to cover costs? Never mind that they’ll be held to account in open court if they don’t do the maintenance.

How are landlords supposed to afford to advertise or otherwise attract tenants if they’re not allowed to cover costs?

How are landlords supposed to earn a living if they’re not allowed to earn a profit for their efforts?