Over the top hatred towards landlords

Maybe it's always been there, but I've lately I've noticed increasing hysterical, hyperbolic criticism and animosity towards landlords, and I think it's weird.

E.g. "Landlords are a cancer on the housing market". "Fat cats profiting from the hard work of ordinary workers".

I've been a tenant, a landlord, an owner occupier and a tenant and landlord at the same time.
I'm thankful that there has been property available for me to rent, when job changes were forced on me. I'm thankful for the flexibility renting offers. Selling a property is a much longer process than arranging a rental. I've been on both sides, and neither is "easy".

We live in a capitalist society. Almost every monetary transaction involves someone making a profit.
I don't particularly like supermarkets, yet they profit from the most basic of needs, food! Yet I don't see serious calls for supermarkets to be abolished. (Well maybe just one fruit loop who suggested everyone drive to their nearest farm to get their groceries...but that was just one crazy.)

Maybe it's the misconception that all landlords are wealthy and just take your money to buy beer, boats and cigars. On propertychat, we know that most landlords are not wealthy - just trying to better their financial situation, using one of the few reasonable ways to make money.

Maybe it's just plain envy - tenants wish that they could afford the property they are renting, but can't. They might not realise, it's possible that the landlord may barely be able to afford it also.

Maybe it's just that housing costs are the biggest weekly/monthly cost for most people, so they notice it more. Personally I'm more outraged by the 400% mark up on tea than the 30% of markup of rent to mortgage that I paid for my last rental. But hey, percentages obviously don't matter as much as the dollar amount, to most people. Financially illiterate, indeed.

Yes, there are bad landlords as well as good ones. Yes, the tax laws are weighted towards property ownership. Security of tenure can be a problem. However, I can't help but think, that if the situation were reversed and if those moaning tenants were suddenly landlords, they would also collect rent to market levels faster than you can say 3% yield.

Banning landlords is a dangerously economically illiterate idea. The system needs changing, not destroying!

 

I think the actual problem is low rental yields.
We have an IP that we pickup up almost 10 years ago , in the aftermath of the GFC, but we got it for a pretty good price and have virtually paid it off , but we dont hesitate in spending money on upgrades or even fixing problems before they actually break .
I have to admit some of the things I hear investors whinging about to repair or replace items makes me do a double take .
But the real issue is the actual yields(or lack of it) ,and in most cases they are bleeding money.
The actual gain only happens when they sell.

From the previous post
"Maybe it's just plain envy - tenants wish that they could afford the property they are renting, but can't. They might not realise, it's possible that the landlord may barely be able to afford it also."

You have even answered your own question

 

I'm sick of the BS from the tennets partial reason why I'm selling

 

Quote: "Yes, the tax laws are weighted towards property ownership."

Not necessarily. There is no tax deduction for the repayment of loan principal, (as you would know @Kepler5b) but it is still a cost to the landlord. Several thousands of dollars a year usually.

 

Those who have are always going to be envied by those who have not.

 

Where are you hearing this hatred?

Online? News? Tenants? People on the street?

 

Renters can get rent assistance when times are tough. Us poor owners can't

 

You hear it a lot on A Current Affair/60 mins/ and the other media outlets. Landlords are always painted as rich landlords who don't like to fix things and who like to kick out tenants for no reason. For most of us the opposite is true

 

Just turn on the crying game tv shows that play out each night from 6-30 each night..

And most of those landlords that end up on those shows ,are there for a reason..

The few landlords that I know-- know full well in inner Brisbane with the way the rental market is that if the property is a dump -then the property managers would not even list the property till it was fixed up and remain un-rented..

 

That's why we don't watch them

 

I am proud to say that I am a game show virgin

 

But... everything is always someone else's fault...

Are you suggesting personal responsibility?

Moderators could you please ban this socially unacceptable heresy.

 

Property Chat, Facebook, Reddit, online newspaper article comments, etc

 

Now days, everybody has a voice online to vent and possibility reach a wider audience... And a lot of the whiners are the ones that have a lot of time on their hands to do so (..oh wait )

 

It is not surprising. There will always be a vocal minority who expect things to be given to them. At the end of the day the cost of housing is high and many renters are choosing to rent. The tenants who need greater protection are actually again a small minority (single parents, disabilities etc).

 

Just think how many investment properties there are is Australia say say for argument 750,000.
How many bad story's do you hear each year say 75,000 max.
You never hear much about the 90 % good that you don't hear much of its only the bad things that get talked about.

 

The saddest part is the 'have nots' rarely take a critical and honest look as to why they 'have not'.

It is very, very hard for most people to realize and say to themselves (its essentially a substantial mindset shift required), "how I am currently living life sucks and I need to take full responsibility and make meaningful change before I can expect to see meaningful results".