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Underlying rent are other things going up - property taxes, input costs like labor and materials, and insurance.

While we must be mindful of greed and abuse, we need to include all underlying costs before just assuming people are cranking up rents. I'm not a landlord but I own property and the costs are gotten vicious lately. Labor is expensive, materials are insane, energy costs, and now insurance are suffocating. And in states with high property taxes, watch out.

by Ekaros1 days ago|

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Energy is one variable. But have things gotten less efficient as things keep going up in prices? Is more labour needed to produce the same? There is stuff like regulation forcing more expensive things. But in general if there was efficiency gains things should keep the same price or drop. Somehow this isn't really happening very well.

But my thesis really is that these things are not underlying the rents. But rents are actually underlying these costs. And well in general the rent seeking economic process build on ever growing valuations of everything.

by mancerayder1 days ago|

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Your theory is just that - theory. Just talk to someone who owns property, or do the research. Insurance costs, Up, energy, Up, when something breaks, it costs more to fix it. It's basic input cost math.

I don't know what 'efficiency gains' means here. Maybe you're thinking of car production or software development. Insurance goes up due to climate change, due to insurance companies taking advantage of a poorly regulated environment, whatever other reasons. Energy goes up due to world events, due to more people, due to extreme weather. Labor costs go up due to inflation.

It feels as thought the 'rent is too damn high' crowd needs an enemy, and the enemy is landlord. And again, not a landlord, but I'm getting bitten by high costs of keeping property. I didn't even talk about the property taxes.

If I WERE a landlord, I'd either pass it along to the tenant as higher rent, or I'd sell the damn thing.

by colechristensen1 days ago|

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Times are getting worse and the landlord class is an unnecessary middleman.

And again, the headline is the labor share of income is at an 80-ish year low. The landlord class grew too big. We want many of them to be forced out of the business either by law or by economic loss forcing sale.

A home is a fundamental human right. Maintaining rental profits in the face of economic hardship is not.

by mancerayder9 hours ago|

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You're repeating talking points that seem ideological in a response to a direct, falsifiable set of assertions. That's the most terrifying thing about ideologies, whether right or left - they just don't pay attention to debate or facts, but stamp repeated assertions religiously.