Rent control in the United States refers to laws or ordinances that set price controls on the rent of residential housing to function as a price ceiling. More loosely, "rent control" describes several types of price control: There is a consensus among economists that rent control reduces the quality and quantity of rental housing units. Other observers see rent control as benefiting the renter, preventing excessive rent increases and unfair evictions. Rent control may stabilize a community, promoting continuity, and it may mitigate income inequality.