• ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works
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      10 months ago

      Did you read the article that you’re linking to? Rent seeking in the economic sense does not mean purchasing property in order to rent it out to tenants.

      • VikingHippie@lemmy.wtf
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        10 months ago

        Rent seeking in the economic sense does not ONLY mean purchasing property in order to rent it out to tenants.

        Fixed it for you. Landlording is one of many forms of “growing one’s existing wealth without creating new wealth”

        • ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works
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          10 months ago

          Renting out property does create wealth. Think of a house as a factory that produces shelter. Running the factory, as opposed to leaving it idle, increases the amount of shelter in the world, and shelter is a form of wealth.

            • ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works
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              10 months ago

              That’s a well-established economic theory and I’m not contradicting it. What I’m saying is that renting out the house after it’s built continues to create wealth. A world in which I build a nice house but keep it empty is wealthier than a world in which I leave the land unimproved, but a world where I rent that house out (or live in it myself) is wealthier still. The experience of living in that house, as opposed to some inferior option, has value.

        • CherenkovBlue@iusearchlinux.fyi
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          10 months ago

          Oh ffs, being a private landlord owning a few houses for rent is not a risk-free endeavor and not purely parasitic. You typically have to fix up the properties first (an investment), do work to vet renters, manage the property (maintenance effort/time/cost), and absorb the risk of bad renters destroying the interior. The landlord has to invest their own time and money to provide a livable shelter to others, who exchange money for not having to deal with all the above listed. That livable shelter is a big freaking deal, or why else would someone choose to spend money on it?

          Companies developing monopolies on rental markets is a very different scenario, and I don’t think it should be legal. Small private landlords? Yes.

            • CodeInvasion@sh.itjust.works
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              10 months ago

              You do realize that being a landlord is typically a negative cashflow business, meaning they lose money every year? The only upside they get from renting out that property if the possible growth in equity, which is typically less than that of investing in the stock market.

              • VikingHippie@lemmy.wtf
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                10 months ago

                The vast majority of landlords don’t do that. They just buy one someone else built and then make others pay for it.

                • CodeInvasion@sh.itjust.works
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                  10 months ago

                  They just buy one out of thin air? Or is it with the wealth they’ve created through their own skills?

                  If it’s so easy to own a house, go buy one.

                  • VikingHippie@lemmy.wtf
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                    10 months ago

                    We’re talking about landlording, not what they did to afford to start landlording.

                    They didn’t make the building and, while they put down the first payments, their tennants are the ones paying for it.

                    That’s not creating wealth. That’s not work. That’s living off the wealth created by others.

                    If it’s so easy to own a house, go buy one

                    Like all other passive income, the challenge is having enough money to start with.

                    Once you get past that point, it IS easy, but due to the inherent inequities of capitalism, getting there is literally impossible for the vast majority of people.

      • Mango@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        Money for nothing. Read it again yourself genius. What part of purchasing property to rent it out makes you think you’re getting money for creating value?