Re:How Homeownership Became the Engine of American Inequality
by rlanday on Tuesday May 09, 2017 @01:51PM
(#14302323)
If you want to live somewhere for 15 to 20 years and guarantee you won't be kicked out, you should buy the place. Not everyone renting wants to live somewhere long-term.
Re:How Homeownership Became the Engine of American Inequality
by kudokatz on Tuesday May 09, 2017 @02:10PM
(#14302497)
> like the ability to buy the flat after living in it for a certain number of years
The market would price this in, and then renters would just pay more for that right. Why not just leave the system as-is and let them buy if they choose?
OR there would be people getting kicked out of their rentals in order to avoid the "option" to buy becoming active, and then reactive legislation, and then ... a huge spiral of fights over market distortions that layer on top of each other.
Re:How Homeownership Became the Engine of American Inequality
by ltdanimal on Tuesday May 09, 2017 @01:51PM
(#14302325)
This falls apart pretty quickly when you think about the fact that the government would be forcing someone to sell something they own
Re:How Homeownership Became the Engine of American Inequality
by zaph0d_ on Tuesday May 09, 2017 @02:08PM
(#14302476)
Yes this is of course a regulatory burden and just a probably unrealistic solution. But the main problem remains, how can someone who is renting get at least some savings out of it?
As rents were cheaper in the previous decades compared to the monthly income, this mechanism would not be necessary. But basically burning half of ones income in order to live somewhere must return some value or around the world not only in the US we will have very poor renters and very rich home owners. This can even lead to even more radical political movements.