General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: America without Landlords: A more in-depth discussion. [View all]True Blue Door
(2,969 posts)The fact is that countries even with very strict rental regulation still have very rigid class disparities, and renters are still politically and economically weak compared to owners.
Such measures almost create a legal enshrinement of class distinctions, and for my money, a docile aristocracy is still not what a progressive democratic society should be aiming for. We should be aiming for democratization of real estate (and everything else, for that matter).
People should own the real estate they use, and use the real estate they own. There should be no daylight between ownership and usage.
If they want to let someone use their property for free as a philanthropist, great - at least then they're using it. But real estate should not be a speculative fulcrum used by casino gambler investors and quasi-farmer absentee landlords who own property from afar and milk tenants like cows.