• @intensely_human@lemm.ee
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        211 months ago

        Well yeah. You do realize there are many, many levels of wealth right?

        Orwell explains it well in 1984. The upper class only comes down when the middle and the lower team up.

        If you’re upper class and want to prevent a revolution that takes you off the top level of society, the way to do that is to sew division between the lower and middle classes.

        In a typical landlord/renter scenario, the landlord is middle class and the renter is low class.

        That person is like an inch above you, and there are other people who are miles above that.

      • @wizardbeard@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        11 year ago

        Do have any idea how massive the gap is between us and the true ruling class is? They aren’t landlords, they own the investment group that owns the holding company that employ the landlords.

        So yeah, very intelligent to use your energy to attack people who are at worst, their incredibly disposable footsoldiers.

        Also, I hate to break it to you, but if you want the split to be black and white like this yet you have the time, energy, and opportunity to complain about this sort of shit online… you probably aren’t one of the proletariat. You’re petit bourgeois.

    • @Ifera@lemmy.world
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      51 year ago

      Exactly. My mom was sick a few years ago so I went back to my hometown for an extended visit. I certainly won’t bunk with her and her new husband, and conveniently, people don’t include hotels in their polarized war against landlords.

      The best option for me was to just rent a room at a boarding house, which was both cost effective and close to my mother’s place.

      The issue is not landlords themselves, it is the capitalism, the unrestrained corporate greed and the lack of very steep taxes for the owners of multiple homes.

      • @pyre@lemmy.world
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        011 months ago

        funny how you gave two examples of visiting places to say landlords aren’t the parasites that they are, rather than the need to have a permanent shelter.

      • @intensely_human@lemm.ee
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        011 months ago

        No, the issue is artificial friction added to the new construction process which keeps overall supply lower than demand, and pushes prices up continuously.

        It’s good to have building codes, because we need safe buildings. But we should offset their existence by slightly subsidizing new construction. Basically we want to enable as closely as possible the natural balancing between supply and demand. Right now, the heavy regulation (both legitimate and overreach) of new construction, as well as the high paperwork and hassle cost, and the uncertainty of permitting or of permitting timeline, all those things are a big finger on the scale pushing supply down.

        Maintaining a constant downward adjustment on the amount of new housing constructed each year is a recipe for exactly this situation we have now: disrespect of tenants by landlords, and exploding rent prices.

        We don’t have a free market in housing. We have a tightly controlled market where new supply is constantly gatekept and thereby suppressed.

        I mentioned building codes but there’s also nimbyist zoning laws. There are plenty of places where a 100-unit apartment building would be a more profitable use of space, but zoning prevents the construction of more than 10 single family homes.

        We do this for lots of reasons, such as maintaining the architectural character of the town, protecting rich people’s views by prevnring tall buildings, avoiding health issues, managing transportation demand, etc etc.

        But we need to be conscious of the fact that the price we pay for all those other benefits, is that we have a housing shortage.

    • @pyre@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      oh no we’re polarizing ourselves… yeah if someone murdered my friend I would get so absolutist and polarize people into my friend vs the guy who murdered my friend. when am I going to learn‽

      • @intensely_human@lemm.ee
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        111 months ago

        Right. Because murder is a heinous crime that rips a person’s life away.

        Renting out apartments isn’t in the same category as murder.

        • @pyre@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          it’s not that far off. shelter is a basic human right. landlords are parasites who profit off of that by providing nothing in return.

          if i could buy an “air lot” the same way i can buy land and houses and charged a monthly fee from people who want to breathe air in that space it would be ridiculously parasitic. landlords do the same with land instead.

    • ASeriesOfPoorChoices
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      -51 year ago

      what’s sad about this mindless “ALAB” blathering is that it actively detracts from ACAB. ACAB isn’t just about “bad cops”, it’s about the entire police institution designed to support bad cops and cover up wrong doing.

      There is no “landlord institution”. Individual property owners are not related in any way. Separate agencies aren’t related. Bad landlords don’t force good landlords out of the market.

      There’s private equity firms which are evil, foreign investors who are evil, and so on, if you’re looking for some big boys to wave your torches and pitchforks at. There’s issues with capitalism.

      Renting is fantastic. You want to build a house or buy a house, or renovate your house, but it takes a few months? You move to a new area, temporary job relocation for a project? You rent. From someone who owns a house. Called a landlord. They are providing the service of making this available for you in an area you want.

      Now, yes, local and state governments should be building more properties to rent cheaply, and you know what that’s called? Competition in the marketplace, which is what is needed.

      “ALAB” is a bullshit concept. Until Landlord B walks over to Landlord A and starts forcing them to raise their rents, it’s not an institutional problem.

      I will say: most property agents are evil, lazy and stupid. Relators for rentals. They usually get paid a percentage of the rent, so they have a direct interest in raising rents. Landlords (the owners) are just people. Most never had the training to run rental properties which is why they listen to the supposed ‘expertise’ of the stupid, lazy, evil agents.

      Here’s a classic news clip from the 90s, where a guy says what we all agree on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Lyex2tSUyA

      (just a little misunderstanding which all works itself out)

        • ASeriesOfPoorChoices
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          211 months ago

          see, that’s not a industry-wide thing. That is one corrupt company, affecting those below them. It’s absolutely wrong, and comes back to the whole issue I mentioned about how they have a direct financial interest in raising rents.

          Them being evil doesn’t affect others. In fact, it makes it easier for those wanting to rent out at lower prices to fill their empty properties.

          and remember - once again, that’s not a landlord. Most agents are dicks, though.

          • Five
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            -211 months ago

            Oh, no! Not Lemmy downvotes! What will you trade in for equity when the Fediverse goes public?