Housing advocates frequently claim that the rent is too damn high. (From 2005 to 2015, there was even a political party in New York that focused on this single issue.) While it can be easy to empathize with that sentiment, housing advocates share much of the blame. Under the guise of “tenants’ rights” advocates propose…
In the early twentieth century, cities across the nation began enacting zoning ordinances that prohibited blacks from buying a home in a predominantly white neighborhood and vice versa. Beginning in the 1930s, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) refused to insure mortgages for black homeowners. For decades, at both the federal and local level, government essentially…
“Housing justice” activists often claim that landlords rake in the “big bucks.” Such claims usually drop the context, citing a few impressive statistics and ignoring other relevant information. As an example, a recent article on City Watch details the amount of rent collected in several California cities: In 2019, Zillow recently reported, Los Angeles renters paid…
A recent article by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) correctly noted that those who subscribe to the idea of “not in my backyard” (NIMBYs) often use zoning to stop or impede the construction of affordable housing. Unfortunately, the article accepts the basic premise of the NIMBYs. The author doesn’t question the moral validity…
One of the latest trends in the “tenants’ rights” movement is to provide free legal representation for tenants facing eviction. Washington state has passed such a law and other states are considering doing so. As with nearly everything associated with “housing justice,” these laws will ultimately create a host of new problems. As one example,…
When government moves beyond its proper purpose of protecting individual rights, the law often becomes a morass of confusion and contradiction. A law recently passed in Montgomery County, Maryland illustrates this point. The Housing Justice Act was unanimously approved by the county council in an effort to reduce homelessness in the county. The law prohibits…
Politicians are often exhorted to follow the “will of the people”—to take those actions that are supported by a majority of citizens. This is a very dangerous idea because it can justify virtually any kind of injustice. To illustrate this, consider a recent article in the Summit Daily in Colorado. The article states that “most…
Like many cities in America, St. Paul, Minnesota, is suffering from a severe shortage of affordable housing. And, as happens in many cities across the nation, some neighborhood groups in St. Paul are opposing a project that would provide homes for 144 low-income families. Opponents to the project would prefer a vacant lot rather than…
Companies like Airbnb and Vrbo have captured a lot of business that would have previously gone to hotels and resorts. Unable to compete with short-term rental (STR) companies like Airbnb, hotels and resorts are using their political connections to ban, regulate, and/or tax STRs. Nevada is the latest state to consider regulating and taxing STRs….
Housing advocates are increasingly talking about the imbalance of power between landlords and tenants. To provide a better “balance” of power, these advocates are calling for laws that restrict landlords and give more power to tenants. These advocates fail to distinguish between economic power and political power. Ayn Rand explained the difference between economic power…
Given my vehement opposition to zoning, one might think that I would be cheering a plan from the Biden Administration aimed at reducing single-family zoning. But there is little reason to cheer this plan. Biden has not suddenly become an advocate of property rights. The stated goal of Biden’s plan is to allow greater housing…
It has become fashionable among housing advocates to attack exclusionary zoning—zoning that that prohibits or excludes multi-family housing. While these attacks correctly point out that exclusionary zoning contributes to higher housing costs, advocates are calling for increased inclusionary zoning—zoning that compels developers to include housing for low-income families in new projects. Because these advocates are…