this post was submitted on 13 Sep 2024
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[–] DarkCloud@lemmy.world 93 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

CAPITAL-ism is aimed and designed to benefit those with the capital.

[–] ThatGiantCameron@lemmy.world 44 points 2 months ago (3 children)

I hate this about our system. To combat this i am sharing equity with the guy that rents a room. I'm tracking how much his rent payments go to paying off the mortgage (which I can make myself, it's just a larger house with rooms to spare) he will get a check based off the percent he paid off on sale, or a percentage of revenue if we end up keeping and paying it off years later. Finance people think I'm crazy giving up that much equity. I just hated tossing rent money to the void, so I figured now that I'm in a position to change my little corner of the world, I will.

[–] Zink@programming.dev 31 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The finance people (and sadly, many many others) think making the number bigger is a more important and worthwhile goal than making your corner of the world a better place. So good on you for being a compassionate human!

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)

It doesn't matter what individuals think in the system, the system moves regardless because if they don't take advantage of it, others will and will supercede them. In this manner, Capital functions almost like a god that is actually worshipped.

Individuals being compassionate within a horrible system will not influence the system overall, though it doesn't mean compassion isn't worth it.

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[–] AeonFelis@lemmy.world 9 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Have you consulted with a lawyer about this? The laws differ from place to place, but I'd be worried the equity you give him may also grant him some sort of claim on the house, which would mean he gets a say on financial things related to the real estate. This can complicate things in the future.

Also - what does "percentage of revenue if we end up keeping and paying it off years later" mean? That after he leaves you will pay him for his share in your house?

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[–] return2ozma@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] Maeve@kbin.earth 7 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Rich people who lived simply, "not underdeveloped, over exploited."

The bananas were a nice touch. It's sickening how politicians are using terms like "banana republic" divorcing them from actual meaning. I almost said, "and kangaroo court," but caught myself, before typing "court," since for a lot of North Americans struggling for any justice get that, for instance the college protesters.

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[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 67 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Elmo: Let me introduce you to the revolutionary who taught me all this.

*knocks on trash can

[–] v_krishna@lemmy.ml 26 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I'm not sure if this is an Oscar reference or a Zizek reference and either way I'm here for it.

[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 15 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

I like to think you'd find both of them inside the trashcan of ideology.

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[–] Disgracefulone@discuss.online 51 points 2 months ago (4 children)

Great theory until you get removed from your home trying to make a point because the family of 3 with nowhere else to go doesn't have the luxury of caring about things like this thanks to the broke ass system we all reside in.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 13 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (9 children)

Great theory until you get removed from your home trying to make a point

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rent_strike

When you get the whole building involve, it can be surprisingly effective.

the family of 3 with nowhere else to go doesn’t have the luxury of caring about things like this

You don't think a family of 3 cares when their rents double over five years while their wages barely budge?

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[–] TheOubliette@lemmy.ml 9 points 2 months ago

It is virtually impossible to work individually against landlords. Instead, form or join a tensnts' union. And maybe some orgs opposed to landlordism.

[–] blanketswithsmallpox@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago (3 children)

They're describing a job in that scenario too lol.

Yes, people lose their shit once they stop doing their job lol. Landlords in their version are effectively building mechanics and paper pushers keeping their property above board so people can live in it. Most of them I knew all had jobs outside of it too because it doesn't pay the bills lol.

Yes, it would be phenomenal if they dropped all their extra money into the stock market like your average person but they diversified or put it into equity instead since they didn't trust stock or had houses willed to them.

I get when people talk about slumlords, or giant corpos. But I've had to quote it before that the lionshare of them are people like I mentioned above with corpos buying out more and more in recent years because they're just as poor as everyone else.

Meanwhile even the most liberal people on here get baited thinking they're scum. Meanwhile billionaires are still laughing at the poors fighting each other thinking one job is better than other or villifying entire professions still.

Unionize. Reform land and property ownership. Vote in as many Progressive > Democrats to help make that happen. Vote yes on school ballot measures even if you get taxes. Run for government yourself if you loathe who represents you. Grassroot campaigns are hard as hell with a huge uphill battle, but poor people aren't excluded from government.

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[–] howrar@lemmy.ca 38 points 2 months ago (3 children)

I mean, this is how businesses work in general. If you don't buy their products/services, then they wouldn't be able to continue providing them.

I understand that we're trying to draw attention to exploitative landlords, but if anyone can afford to keep their property regardless of whether or not you pay rent, it's the exploitative ones.

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 29 points 2 months ago (51 children)

The problem is that landlords don't create value, they seek to endlessly profit off of one time labor. Rent-seeking creates no real Value of any substance.

[–] Antiproton@programming.dev 15 points 2 months ago (6 children)

That's the naivete of the Internet talking. Of course landlords create value; they do so in exactly the same way lenders create value: they absorb risk by amortizing upfront costs and charge a premium to do so.

If you didn't agree that it's an ethical way to participate in the economy, say that. Don't try to pass off a moral judgment as an objective truth.

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 20 points 2 months ago (10 children)

There's no Value created by risk, that's an ad-hoc justification for profiting endlessly off of labor performed one time long ago.

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[–] Catsrules@lemmy.ml 7 points 2 months ago (4 children)

They do create value. They provide maintenance free housing as well as short term housing (short term as in 1-3 years.) Not everyone wants to stay in the same location for 5+ years. If you move around alot It you want to rent is usually the better option.

Now sure you could argue they are over charging for that service but that doesn't mean they aren't providing value.

The only reason why we are having issues is because there is a housing shortage that is raising the price and large companies have taken advantage of this by buying up all the houses at the crazy price and renting them out at crazy rent prices eating up the market for actual people to want to buy a house.

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 15 points 2 months ago (2 children)

They do create value. They provide maintenance free housing as well as short term housing (short term as in 1-3 years.) Not everyone wants to stay in the same location for 5+ years. If you move around alot It you want to rent is usually the better option.

The ability to rent is useful, but the idea that endlessly profiting off of the same property and doing minor maintenance is creating Value is silly. There's no Value being created through simply owning something. Maintenance creates Value, yes, but that does not make up anywhere close to the profit of landlording.

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[–] roguetrick@lemmy.world 12 points 2 months ago

No. It's not large companies. It's a sickness inherent in the system and exactly what this is taking about. The only service being provided is leveraging their own credit to get a mortgage from the bank and then paying that mortgage and taxes with rent. They do that because it will decrease supply and increase value. And that's a parasitic practice done not just by large companies by any means. In my city they even subcontract for maintenance and also pay for that out of the rent. If we're doing this shit, why exactly aren't we just letting the renters own their equity for paying the goddamn mortgage. It's a disgusting system.

[–] SoleInvictus@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 2 months ago (7 children)

They provide maintenance free housing...

Keep in mind this isn't always the case. Landlords where I used to live are increasingly requiring tenants to pay for some maintenance costs. A past landlord had us pay for anything $300 or less.

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[–] zanyllama52@infosec.pub 26 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Stop paying rent to see who loses their home. It's an ugly system.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 14 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

Who forecloses on the tenant? The landlord

Who forecloses on the landlord? The bank

Who actually performs the eviction? The sheriff's office

Who therefore truly controls the property?

[–] Hackworth@lemmy.world 19 points 2 months ago (2 children)
[–] wafflez@lemmy.world 8 points 2 months ago
[–] KellysNokia@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago

Corporate landlords who pick up the property at collapsed values and maximize rent to suppress the ability for these folks to buy property again?

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[–] davel@lemmy.ml 11 points 2 months ago
[–] BonesOfTheMoon@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago (4 children)
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[–] cyberpunk007@lemmy.ca 7 points 2 months ago (5 children)

But if you need a place to rent... Quid pro quo.

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[–] icedcoffee@lemm.ee 5 points 2 months ago

A lot of people on the comments seem to have had landlords who “fixed things”

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