Changing that conversation, however, comes from having a seat at the political table. Brown encouraged audience members to get involved in fighting back, whether that meant joining an organization or writing a letter.

However, the current efforts to fight against rent control have paled in comparison to the efforts for rent control, and Brown expects those efforts to grow. "The political makeup of the country have come to such a place that we are going to see more of these policy proposals," he said. "They aren't going away and a lot of new states are going in that direction. We are going to see more activity in this area. We are going to have to get used to this fight. Policy makers need to hear from our side. This is the new normal, at least for the next five years."

Washington State, Minnesota and even Arizona—which surprised some because it has a history of being a conservative state—are all looking at rent control measures. Northeastern state are also a big concern. The issue is also not as politically divided as one might think. There are people on the fringes of both parties that present challenges to the industry.