Where city rules beat state law.

The deepest tenant-protection system in the country - if you know which rules cover your unit

Two overlapping systems: the city's RSO for older buildings, statewide caps for most of the rest

Strong rent control with an active Rent Board that tenants can actually petition

CPI-based rent caps and one of the older just-cause ordinances in the state

No rent control (Illinois preempts it) - but the RLTO gives Chicago renters unusual leverage on deposits and repairs

Long notice runways and eviction protections layered on Washington's new statewide cap

The city that made landlords pay renters to leave - on top of Oregon's statewide rent cap

No rent control (banned statewide since 1994) - Massachusetts state law is where Boston renters' power lives

One of the only cities in the Midwest with voter-passed rent stabilization

No rent control - but a first-in-the-nation eviction diversion program that renters should invoke by name