this post was submitted on 09 May 2025
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[–] [email protected] 44 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (11 children)

We'd have a lot of empty houses and maybe cheaper houses.

Look. Personally, I love renting. Its fleksible.i can move whenever i want to and not think about selling. Also i can live in places where houses are practically unsellable and not worry that I can't sell once I want to live somewhere else

Also, I don't have to worry about repairing and maintaining the house. If I window breaks, I call the landlord. If a pipe breaks a leak, I call the landlord. For me, renting is great!

[–] [email protected] 44 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

@cosmicrookie @stabby_cicada you could still have rental houses in a system with no landlords

[–] [email protected] 35 points 2 weeks ago (9 children)

@cosmicrookie @stabby_cicada I mean for example with housing cooperatives

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 weeks ago

Just imagine paying the half of it, for supporting local workers for maintenance and fixups instead of a random nobleman's holidays in paradise...

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[–] [email protected] 30 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

wow look at mister lives in the good part of town over here where landlords pick up the phone

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[–] [email protected] 28 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

My brother in Christ you're the one paying for those repairs and more yourself, it's not like the landlord does it personally. Some might to save a buck, but you're still paying the bill.

Oh and all those repairs are tax deductible so they will pay less than you will on taxes usually.

Oh and if they would have to pay taxes, you're paying the taxes for them.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (18 children)

This is how everything you buy works. When you buy bread from the store you're paying more than it costs to make.

My point is, that I am willing to pay the landlord, to handle these responsibilities and risks

Edit: and inconvenience

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[–] [email protected] 27 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I'd be happy to rent if the value of houses didn't double every decade.

Here in Australia you really just work so you can pay your mortgage. The wealth you accrue through your life is mostly the value of your house rather than the money you save.

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

Have you seen what that looks like in the US? It ain’t pretty or comfortable.

That’s like buying something that’s “military grade” thinking it’s good. It’s not.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I grew up in a government subsidized co-op, and I loved it. It's still going, and some of the rents are as low as $8/mo.

Government/public housing can be good. You just need to protect it.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I already was born unlucky enough to not be rich. What are the chances of being lucky enough to get one of those subsidized co-op homes?

Where I live, affordable housing is distributed on a lottery system. So I mean literally, what are the chances one has to obtain such housing? I can't imagine there are enough homes for every applicant.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 weeks ago (6 children)

Buying and selling houses is a nightmare to make you feel like rentals are necessary.

When my parents wanted to move as young adults it was easy for them to sell their property and use that money to buy a new one in the place they were moving to. That's now way more difficult just for the benefit of landlords.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago (8 children)

Saying that you add nuance with that comment, is like saying anti-vaxers add nuance with their views.

It is proven time and time again that when something is done against landlords the normal people benefit. See Vienna for example, or the early ccp or the whole movement of and views of Henry George.

You can also see full video about the topic in Britain here

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago

If I window breaks, I call the landlord. If a pipe breaks a leak, I call the landlord. For me, renting is great!

Here I'm responsible for all that. Renting is not so great... lol

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (3 children)

Thing is, someone owns those houses and it's certainly not poor people like me. Also we need more housing in most western countries and private entities are definitely not going to build it if they can't rent it out. We need to figure out a way to force public entities like the state to build more housing.

A communist (or similar) revolution might take care of it, but that's a lot more involved than "all landlords disappear".

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

If all those people that have money to build houses were forced to give it away (taxes), we the people (the government) could just build the houses and not charge exorbitant rent.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

The hard part is how to actually make the government do that. And ideally without turning your state into a stalinist or maoist dystopia.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago

Mortgage payments are often cheaper than rent. The barrier for poorer people to owning is usually downpayment requirements and credit. There are many reasons for the "housing crisis;" most stemming from real-estate being treated as a speculative asset or "investment," which incentivizes all kinds of phenomenon harmful to society.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Such a paradox isnt it. We have declining birth rates in the west, yet somehow we have a housing shortage. Its like they deliberately drove down building to drive up prices.

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)
[–] [email protected] 25 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

it's better to use the gender neutral term, more inclusive, please use landparasite

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
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[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago

I'm no sexist. They can also evaporate.

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 weeks ago

There's a lot of smug "well actually" commenters in this thread, who have completely missed that the meme is making a rhetorical point about the nature of rent-seeking rather than sincerely advocating for the sudden disappearance of all landlords.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

We'd have more houses, they gotta live somewhere too

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

I could go on vacation twice a year if I didn't pay rent.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

All y'all need to read about Georgism.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

Yeah Henry George is a true American treasure. I've been a Georgist for about 17 years now. Seems like the movement is finally gaining a little bit of momentum. Or at least people are talking about it.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Let's some to simplify every person gets to buy only one home and this is only for them and their families to enjoy.

Now they still have more money than you. They just won't invest in a house but somewhere else instead. Now nobody can rent, great all the banks now get a ton of revenue for all that money they lend out because everybody needs to buy. (Making them insanely rich)...

Inequality is the problem, just peddling a simple solution like getting rid of one symptom is not gonna fix this. Also changing the system has historically done nothing in that way either.

Taxing the rich would. ;)

Landlords are easy to hate, but they are necessary. Having them paying high taxes and having strong protections for renters will keep them honest and contributing and the market balanced.

Let's start with some constructive work instead of hate flaming memes.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I would argue that being able to rent a house is necessary. That doesn’t mean we have to rent them from private landlords.

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