Landlords Do Not Need to Exist

Landlords are parasites who feed upon economic inequality and the exploitation of the poor. Landlords do not need to exist in any way at all. Shelter is a fundamental aspect of what human beings need to survive. America sends rockets to space but apparently can’t house all of its people. Landlords are middlemen, asking for higher and higher prices knowing good and well that wages are stagnant. When a person sells their labor to their boss and comes back with a check they have to pay rent first. Most people set aside the money needed for rent when they get their check. It is as if landlords tax people for not having enough money to own a home themselves.

Landlords Only Care About Profit

There is a reason why finance people say that real estate is one of the safest investments. Everyone needs a home. It must be reiterated that something all human beings require to live is being bought and sold as a commodity. Things like food, water, and shelter should never be commodities.

The reason why is that there will always be people who can’t afford them. What happens then is that a living breathing human being can not get what they need to survive because of the silly concept humanity created. Money isn’t real, but the needs of humanity are. Profit should never come over people. Yet, in this capitalist world, it almost always does.

In the case of landlords and housing, the greatest victims are the ones without it. Too poor to be exploited, the homeless populations are the collateral of the “real estate” industry. Some houses cost millions of dollars that could house over a hundred people, and yet there are people on the streets. There are over 500,000 homeless people in America. There are also 16 million vacant homes in America.

Unacceptable Realities

This is unacceptable, so many people are without a home because it isn’t profitable to house them. Profit is the main driving force in this economic situation. Landlords raise the rent because it is profitable. Real estate agents buy and sell homes because it is profitable. Homeless people exist because it wouldn’t be profitable to house them.

People aren’t in the real estate business because they want to make the world a better place. They are in it for the money, because in a capitalist world, it doesn’t matter if the people you are exploiting are already marginalized minorities or women and children. In a capitalist world, money is the only thing that matters. America could decide tomorrow that exploitation through housing shouldn’t be a thing anymore. That world would be so very different from this one. But a better world isn’t profitable, so it can’t exist under capitalism.

A Multitude Of Solutions

Despite the grim reality of the situation, there are solutions and mediations to be made.
Tenant striking is when the residents of a building decide to band together and not give the landlord any money until the landlord lowers the rent. There is also rent fixing, which is when the government decides that rent prices are getting out of control so they fix the price so that renters aren’t burdened with super high rent.

Furthermore, there is also more affordable housing as a great option. This is probably one of the most simple ways it can be done. Making more houses affordable would help everyone. Especially in cities with high rent and mortgage rates. A universal basic income would also be a nice safety net. A universal basic income is a policy of giving every person a certain amount of money for the month, hence the name “universal”.

A Solution Against The Landlord Problem

For example, a universal basic income of $2000 a month would be greatly beneficial to many families and people in general. Those who were making 24,000 a year would be making 48,000 a year. Those making 48,000 a year would be making 72,000 a year, and so on. Not every U.B.I. is $2,000 but all of them are beneficial. People need assistance and it’s ok for a government with vast amounts of resources to help its citizens. What is the point of paying taxes if the government isn’t helping anyone?

For every problem, there is a solution. Sometimes that solution is a multitude of solutions. The existence of landlords and the way they operate present a large problem for society. However, with many solutions in play, this problem can be vanquished once and for all. The abolishment of the private property stands to be one of the greatest goals humanity has ever set out for itself. However, the fact remains that landlords do not need to exist.

Written by Kenneth Mazerat

Sources

End homelessness: State of Homelessness: 2021 Edition 

New York Times: Vacant Homes Everywhere by Michael Kolomatsky

HuckMag: There is no such thing as a ‘good landlord’ by Tristan Cross

Vox: Rising rent prices are keeping inflation high by Madeleine Ngo

WTTW: As Rents Rise, Push to Eliminate Illinois’ Ban on Rent Control Grows by Jennifer Cotto

SurvivingTomorrow: Landlords Are Parasites by Jared A. Brock

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