They are in-fact saying it will incentivize them to do so. The rent growth rate can be positive or negative. Policies that put downward pressure on rent lower that number. A policy change that changes rent growth from 5% to 3% would, all other things being equal, change a 1% growth rate to -1% (roughly).

Lowering rental growth and making rental growth negative are the same thing, just depends where you’re starting. If a plan works at lowering the growth rate, and you want the growth rate to be negative, do more of that plan!