Letter to the Editor: Landlords need to be taught empathy
Dear Editor:
After a series of heated arguments at the Downey City Council about rent control, some elephants in the room are yet to be discussed.
Although total freedom is an old fantasy and a capitalist utopian vision for tomorrow, the landlords’ arguments are weak. Society is coming to grips with the idea that healthcare and housing are two things that supply and demand alone cannot be allowed to dictate. If supply and demand is the only bellwether, then why not allow apartment owners to advertise their units as vacant even though they are not? If there are 10 applicants for a one-bedroom apartment, why not allow landlords to set-up an auction pinning the applicants against each other and the current tenant if the unit is not vacant?
It’s cruel to do so, that’s why not. Apartment owners should conform to rent increases that are related to opportunity increases. Landlords automatically think that an increase in income represents the perfect time to raise the rent. It doesn’t. For renters, an increase in income means a better chance on catching up on credit payments with lofty interest rates, buying much-needed products and services, or saving money for a rainy day. Disposable income is a concept that should be respected an understood more not a resource pillaged by landlords. Renters need money to buy time. Extra money buys time to be better parents, friends, and workers. What good is it to set rent prices at levels where tenants only work and sleep? Society pays the price for the consequences of this while landlords smile all the way to the bank. Why should a landlord care about renters’ standard of living? If the price of food, clothing, and services rises at the same time rent rises – which they almost always do - how will renters be able to pay the rent? They will not, and more families will resort to cramming themselves into converted garages, one-bedroom apartments with other families, or renting RVs to park along the city’s streets.
I recently heard about the growing black-market for motorhome rentals. The rents for GPS equipped motorhomes are priced a few hundred dollars a month lower than what a one-bedroom goes for. I’ve also observed behavior in society that supports landlords’ desire to raise rents. Landlords feel that renters are financially hopeless beings. They hear about renters over-spending on quinceaneras, $20 and $30 lottery scratchers, theme park tickets, leases on fancy cars and big trucks, alcohol, and many nights out at local restaurants and bars. Some landlords sift through apartment garbage bins to get a good profile of how renters behave. Believe it. They are not moved by the idea that letting renters keep more of their money will make anything better. Despite these observations, they should not lump all renters into one group of misbehaving consumers.
In the gig economy, incomes are going up, but the physical toll on workers is up as well. The jobs renters do are often seasonal and inconsistent, healthcare costs are unknown, and gas can suddenly jump by fifty cents a gallon in Los Angeles. We all know that. Childcare is not cheap. Without disposable income, how can parents decide to spend the money on spending time with their kids? Kids who do not spend time with their parents are put at a disadvantage early on in life. Parents who do not spend time with their kids never get to hone their parenting skills and become excellent parents. This is the price landlords are charging society by demanding unfettered freedom to raise rents.
The concept of being a landlord is begging to be redefined. Landlords need to be taught empathy and concern for tenants. They should not be satisfied with the idea that renters are probably going to be renters for life so long as they can keep their foot on their throats with rent increases every year. Ideally, landlords should be made to keep prices stable for at least 5 years from the time a tenant moves-in. A five-year window provides tranquility, instills hope and determination, and it could be enough time for families to plan their financial moves accordingly and get out of the vicious renter’s cycle with a home purchase. For all we know, a five-year window for renters may lead to the formation of nonprofits focused on helping renters become solvent enough to buy homes.
Daniel Chantre
Downey