So change the rules laws in your favor. Sitting on the sidelines does nothing. I'm not in the rental game anymore but I would support fair tenant/landlord compromises vs whats going on in the UK and in NYC.
But it has to incentivize both sides, rent freezes will not fix the NYC issue. It will make it worse. 60k+ empty apartments in NYC because the cost to bring them up to code isnt worth the squeeze. Better for them to take the loss.
Those 60k apartments would be a God send for so many people. How do we fix them up w/o bankrupting the landlords and the city coffers?