This article is part of our joint investigation into Airbnb and the housing crisis with Pivot. You can read a French version on their site.

Why shouldn’t landlords be able to hold public office? Run against them if you’re so much better.

When people call the current political system a “bourgeois democracy”, this is what they mean. The interests of politicians lay with their fellow capitalist oligarchs

The interests of politicians lay with their fellow capitalist oligarchs

AlwaysHaveBeen.jpg

I don’t think this problem is specific to Montreal.

Nor to Canada, regards from the UK

@Falmarri@lemmy.world
link
fedilink
English
81Y

Wouldn’t it also be a conflict of interest if they were renters? How can someone not have any interest in housing?

Sure, but in that case their interests would be a human right. It’s a conflict of interests because they are for profit owners; not just owners.

@Rocket@lemmy.ca
link
fedilink
-6
edit-2
1Y

are for profit owners

Which homeowner isn’t? There is good reason why nobody is moving to high unemployment Newfoundland to buy up the houses they can’t give away even amid the “housing crisis”. A home, even your primary residence, is a capital asset. Basically everyone is living where they do because that house provides them profit – most likely by it being a tool to provide access to a highly profitable labour market.

It may be a conflict of interest, but when there is no interest not in conflict, what are you going to do?

That’s an obfuscation of the point. The conflict of interest is that they directly make money from their property - landlords rigging prices and buying all the property are the problem, and they’re also the ones making laws to regulate themselves.

@Rocket@lemmy.ca
link
fedilink
-6
edit-2
1Y

The conflict of interest is that they directly make money from their property

Just like everyone else.

If people weren’t concerned about the money they directly make from their property, why aren’t they moving to said places in Newfoundland where profit cannot be made? Housing crisis averted!

Trouble is, the profit a house generates is a strong motivator – maybe even a necessity. That’s why they are not moving to Newfoundland.

The Newfoundland market has exploded since 2020. Sale and rental prices have increased. Rental demand is outpacing supply.

So yes, profit can be made in Newfoundland where, according to a CBC anecdote, a landlord in Paradise, NL recieved and impassioned please from a family of 8 to rent a 2 bedroom appartement and was offered over rent in cash sight unseen to secure a rental. (22 June 2022).

Glad to hear that Newfoundland has become profitable. That means we can all move there now. Housing crisis averted!

Bo7a
link
fedilink
21Y

All snark aside. Do you really believe that every human is motivated by capital profit?

blazera
link
fedilink
171Y

This is solvable by outlawing landlords.

Really though. 10.8% of homes nationally are unoccupied. Can you imagine how much more accessible housing would be if landlords couldn’t sit on properties to find the next tenant to bleed dry?

Pxtl
link
fedilink
English
0
edit-2
1Y

That’s a myth. What it actually means is they have no regular occupant, which means for example they’re student houses full of students with a home address elsewhere.

Create a post

What’s going on Canada?



Communities


🍁 Meta

🗺️ Provinces / Territories

🏙️ Cities / Local Communities

🏒 Sports

Hockey

Football (NFL)

  • List of All Teams: unknown

Football (CFL)

  • List of All Teams: unknown

Baseball

Basketball

Soccer


💻 Universities

💵 Finance / Shopping

🗣️ Politics

🍁 Social and Culture

Rules

Reminder that the rules for lemmy.ca also apply here. See the sidebar on the homepage:

https://lemmy.ca


  • 1 user online
  • 113 users / day
  • 249 users / week
  • 524 users / month
  • 1.99K users / 6 months
  • 1 subscriber
  • 5.7K Posts
  • 50.8K Comments
  • Modlog