Ann Arbor, Michigan recently became the third jurisdiction in the nation to create a tenants’ commission to “amplify the voices of renters.” Unlike similar commissions in Seattle and King County, Washington, landlords will be a part of the commission. However, they will not be allowed to vote on any issues before the commission. Some council…
A good salesman seeks to empower his customer to make a wise purchasing decision. He does this by asking questions to determine the customer’s needs and desires. He can then direct the customer to the products and features that will be most satisfying. Bad salesmen, on the other hand, show no concern for what the…
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer recently denounced a real estate company for its “predatory” practices in buying more than one-hundred apartment buildings in Brooklyn. Speaking to a group of tenants and other disgruntled rabblerousers, Schumer said, There is nothing more despicable than these predatory real estate equity firms trying to make billions of dollars on…
Background: Sen. Bernie Sanders has stated the fundamental position of the housing justice movement when he said, “I believe that every American should have a fundamental right to safe, decent, and affordable housing.” Providing every American with safe, decent, and affordable housing is what the movement means by housing justice. If justice means treating individuals…
Housing activists frequently demand that long-time residents of a community have a voice in new development within a neighborhood, particularly when gentrification threatens to change the character of the area. In many instances, they lobby government officials to force a developer to “negotiate” with community representatives. But these “negotiations” are simply a cover for extortion….
Political pundit Adam Johnson takes issue with a trend among landlords to “rebrand” themselves as “housing providers” because “landlord” is a feudal term. He writes, But landlords do not comprise a vulnerable or protected class; they are not dispossessed, historically marginalized, or a minority group in urgent need of reclaiming their humanity. Conveniently, Johnson ignores…
Reliable Properties, the owner of a 24-unit apartment complex in Kansas City recently informed residents that their leases would not be renewed. The owner wants to renovate the units to take advantage of rising rents in the area. Many of the residents are elderly and have lived in the complex for years. They are obviously…
Charlie Simms, the owner of a development company in Ohio, makes a point that needs to be included in discussions regarding affordable housing. Housing advocates consider affordable housing to mean below market rate housing. However, as Simms writes, “When builders and developers speak of affordable housing we’re talking about how to build homes that the…
In an opinion piece on Politico, housing advocates Cea Weaver and Paul Williams argue that “democrats would be fools to slash Biden’s housing plan.” At a proposed cost of $327 billion, that housing plan, along with other entitlements proposed by Biden, are part of “long-overdue expansions of the welfare state.” Not surprisingly, the authors do…
Like a swarm of lemmings, Seattle keeps moving closer to the edge of the cliff. Since the beginning of the pandemic, city council has enacted a series of destructive ordinances under the guise of protecting tenants. The latest insanity includes: Tenants must be given six months’ notice of rent increases Landlords must pay a tenant…
In an open letter to the Montclair Property Owners Association (MPOA) in February, I wrote: MPOA isn’t opposed to rent control as a matter of moral principle. The association just doesn’t like the particular version passed by the town council. This approach will fail in the long-term because it cedes the moral principle involved—the right…