All the things that the article mentions are true, but the conclusion that the author comes to is not. Yes, the landlords have all the incentives in the world to try other shenanigans other than a straight rent reduction, but it feels like everyone is so used to housing increasing forever that the thought of an actual market correction is so foreign. The incentive to lower rents is to get a renter to move into the unit.
The threshold of where they'll lose more holding the unit off market do to trying to squeeze last years rent price will be equalized quickly.
This isn't 10 year business leases. If a renter moves out and the rental market recovers they can go right back to their preferred number.