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Landlord Raises Rent to Cover the Cost of Never Doing Anything
(thehardtimes.net)
The problem here, is a house is not a natural product of the earth. It takes work and investment to keep it from becoming a pile of rubble.
That being said, I've had a lot of shitty landlords in my life, and a few very good ones. I think the overall problem is the "efficiency" of capitalism here. Profit seeking from landlords means doing the least and charging the most. Corporate landlords have a responsibility to their investors to generate as much revenue as possible. (See Blackrock suing United for giving people back to much of their own money for healthcare). Like healthcare, this system clearly needs and overhaul in the US.
We should push for an unfilled housing penalty that is tied to the rate being charged for the unit. This creates a market pressure for landlords to lower prices while keeping quality up so current tenants don't leave. The fines paid for empty units go straight into a housing subsidy fund to assist people with affording those rentals.
I also think we should create laws that reduces or even removes investor's input on how rentals are managed. The first and foremost responsibility of the landlord should be to the paying tenants, and then to the people taking a cut of the profit. Investments are not a guaranteed revenue stream, and the capitalist principles of Risk vs Reward fall apart without the existence of actual risk.
Many places use market-rate housing to help balance out the absurd rices charged when landlords get free rein to do whatever the fuck they want. It’s the same as social housing but people hear that word and, based on nothing, lose their shit and NIMBY themselves into higher rents.
The world’s issues are solvable, we’ve figured out the next several steps at least. The problem is that we can forget the drinking, even getting this horse to water seems next to impossible. You have several answers in front of you and we outnumber the investors by an insane margin, but good luck getting people to stand up for themselves.
........is The Onion still fictional? It's hard to tell anymore.
thehardtimes.net
........is thehardtimes.net still fictional? It's hard to tell anymore.
Landlord wanted to raise rent by another $200 to "keep up with market prices". That was their excuse. To keep up with market prices.
In no way defending landlords, but a family friend who inherited another property decided to rent it out. They used a property manager (through an agency) because they had their own full time job.
At some point they found out the property manager increased rent a decent amount, while the economy was going in the shitter, without informing them. When they found out they were like "wtf, why'd you do that?" they replied "because the market rate went up and if we don't then it will impact how much we can charge for other properties".
He told them to fuck off, fired them and brought the rent back to what it was.
I often wonder how many landlords don't even know what's going on with their properties and would probably disagree with what the property managers are doing. Not that that excuses it though...
I bought a house two years ago and I intend to rent it out while I'm living with my elderly parents until they move into a nursing home or pass away, at which point I will move into it. I met with a lawyer during the purchase process and he showed a copy of his standard rental contract, which included an annual auto-renewal of the lease at a mandatory 5% increase over the previous year's rental price. In my case, there would be absolutely no justification of any increase at all - I paid cash for the house, my insurance does not increase from year to year and neither do my property taxes, except after very infrequent reassessments - let alone a 5% increase. Even somebody who took out a mortgage to buy the house would have been paying a fixed monthly amount from year to year, so they would have had no justification for an increase in rent either.
Yes I know I'm a scumlord, but I'm charging $300 a month less than is typical in my neighborhood and I don't do that first-and-last-months rent bullshit. A security deposit is a reasonable ask, but why should a tenant have to pay the last month's rent up front? I've put a lot of work into renovating this house, and I just want a tenant who isn't going to fuck everything up before I move into it myself.
I was this way. I don't go crazy with rent, but I've been taking advantage of by EVERY SINGLE TENANT I've ever had. They couldn't pay one month? That's fine. I understand things are hard, just get back to me later the next month. They haven't paid after 3 months? Here's a rental assistance program, I'll help you apply to whatever you need. Okay. You haven't paid or tried to pay in 6 months now, nor have you returned by phone calls, I'm going to have to send you a notice of default and evict you. Okay. Now I'm a scumlord, I guess. And now they clogged all the pipes. Broken every dry wall panel and window, poured antifreeze into my well, and caused significant water damage throughout the house because I'm the bad guy. Cool.
Another tenant turned the house into a drug den. Another became addicted to opiates after a back injury and lost his job, and stopped paying rent because he needed it for more drugs.
Like. I get it, no one likes landlords, but my God. Everyone thinks they are entitled to treat your home however they want, and then are shocked when your upset that they don't uphold their end of the bargain or take care of the house.
Long story short, people on both sides suck.
Your story has reminded me of why I'm lollygagging so badly on renovating my house (it's been almost two years now and really should have just taken a few months). I don't really need the rental money and I'm terrified of having to deal with shitty tenants.
Being a landlord is not a valuable role in society, but being a property manager is. It sounds like you're committed to offering a well-maintained and affordable rental in what would otherwise be an unoccupied house due to your current family situation. That's nothing like a typical corporate slumlord at all. You're providing a valuable resource for your community, don't sell yourself short
I think all landlords get demonized lately as a meme unfairly. Lots of times property taxes get jacked up, hoa fees, etc. So there is rationale to raise the fees.
But I had this exact phrasing happen to me before I bought my house. "Were raising costs to keep up with market rate." I think its a mistake to do that to reliable, clean, respectful tenants if you dont have to.
But I could see someone doing that to a tenant who leaves trash, doesnt pickup after their dog, or plays loud music.
But landlords that treat it like a business and not just what is necessary are a joke for sure. But most of the hate I see landlords get are blanket and not fair.
Another thing I'll say is corporations owning property only makes this worse. Half the townhouses in my community are owned by corporations and they always get shitty tenants who let their kids trash the place.
We have had incidents where kids pull out bricks from a garden wall and now its going to cost the homeowners 3,000 dollars.
I really think sometimes consideration and neighborly respect is dead. I fucking hate it.
Anyway, that's the end of my rant. Both landlords and renters can be trash.
BRB gonna prep a saffron enema
this post was submitted on 01 Jun 2025
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