Last week, Arlington County board members added a provision to their 2026 General Assembly priorities package on legislation that would give localities the power to limit annual increases in apartment rents.
As of February, data show that rents climbed more than 12 % than the previous year, with the average monthly rent hitting about $2,591.Over the past five years, average asking rents in Arlington have increased by roughly 27% across all property types.
In response, the Arlington County Board recently adopted legislation for their 2026 state legislative priorities package that would empower the county to enact “anti-rent-gouging protections.” The Board is requesting that the Commonwealth grant localities the authority to limit annual rent increases, distinguishing the difference from full rent-control. (RELATED: Governor Glenn Youngkin At Odds With Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger)
As Board Chair Takis Karantonis explained, “They are two very different toolboxes and there are many variations inside each one.”
Karantonis noted that during his five-year tenure, rents in Arlington have increased about 27%. The proposal also includes language urging the state legislature to support efforts to keep housing costs affordable “including anti-rent-gouging protections.”
Advocates argue that limiting rent spikes can help preserve affordable housing on a much wider scale than voucher programs or new construction alone. Opponents, such as a trade group representing local landlords, contend that such measures mimic rent-control, which it says has historically produced adverse consequences like housing shortages and deterioration.
The trade organization, Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington (AOBA) “is alarmed by the County Board’s endorsement of ‘anti-rent-gouging’ legislation, which we believe comes from a misguided understanding of how the housing market functions,” said Scott Pedowitz, its director of Virginia government affairs. (RELATED: A Piece Of Virginia’s Past Comes Home For Its Next Chapter)
The General Assembly will not vote on this matter until 2026, likely between the end of January and March, as they vote on another 2 year budgetary plan.