Skip Navigation
60 comments
  • "It's the market" is another way of saying "because I can".

    They don't have to raise the rent to match the market, the market is simply a signal to them that if they lost you by raising the rent, they could potentially replace you for the same or higher rent.

    They could ignore that and leave your rent alone. They don't. It's a choice.

  • Look, what I’d say to you is, that we are laser focussed on delivering outcomes that synergise with our plan to get on with undoing the housing crisis the Labour created.

  • Some townships and counties have strict regulations and housing authorities which make coops and communal housing difficult, rarely intentionally but often as a result of requiring liability and responsibility for repairs and outcomes.

    That said, there is a big push in a lot of cities such as Denver which is allowing more options.

    One thing to be wary about is that depending on the structure of the commune/cooperative it might be indistinguishable from an HOA or a Condo.

    • To the occupant, "Land Contracts" are probably the most rent-like alternatives to actual rent.

      I would draw a big target on institutional investors, by jacking property taxes through the roof, while issuing "homestead" exemptions to owner occupants. As soon as we do that, every landlord (who doesn't live on the property) is going to get hit with a massive tax bill...

      OR

      ... they are going to find some way to make their "tenant" qualify as the "owner".

      Here's where "Land Contracts" come in. These are a form of seller financing. They are recorded by the county, much like a deed. The "buyer" is considered the owner.

      With a land contract, you pay a fixed monthly payment, much like a mortgage. That payment normally doesn't change for the life of the contract: You aren't going to face a steep rent hike every year.

      For the first three years, you are free to walk away from the property, just like leaving a rental. Ownership simply reverts to the seller.

      After three years, your previous payments are considered the "down payment" on the property. The contract converts to a traditional mortgage. You continue to make the same payments, but now, you have equity in the home.

      So, you can get the short-term flexibility of renting, but if you realize you've settled down, you're already well on your way to ownership.

      Landlords get a way to claim that the property is occupied by the "owner", and avoid the massive tax hike.

      Adopting this, the only properties that will remain "for rent" will be the spare units in duplexes, triplexes, and quadplexes, where the landlord occupies one of the units.

60 comments