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Comment by microgpt | Hacker News Reader

Renting itself isn't inherently the problem if you have very strong tenant rights. Imagine renting came with all the rights of owning except the money flowed differently (like a perpetual mortgage) - that'd be pretty okay, actually. It is within the power of a government to enable something like that.

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But renting is a problem if there's no asset at the end of it.

Even if rents were capped at half what a mortgage for the same property is, you still are in a position that once the asset of the house is paid off the landlord now has an asset that earns income without labour.

And the inverse.

Regardless of what you earn (to a point, even into higher income brackets), if you do not put it into an asset that can house you, and you stop earning, you cannot live without reducing your overall capital.

So rental means a lack of opportunity to reduce your labour dependent income over time (important as you age), and a reduced ability to weather negative life events.

It can work (and did in some places in Western Europe for a while) if housing stock is mostly state owned and/or communal. Of course that introduces some other issues

Paying to consume something continually isn't inherently wrong. We do that with food. If you like, you could offset it with UBI.

A separate concern is who should receive the money and how we morally justify that, since they didn't produce anything or work to earn it.

Its more likely you'll continue to own the place than the government making something like that, that would hurt real estate owners. Renting is fine if you're on your prime years, making money and enjoying life, once you're on your way down, old and likely less employable, renting becomes an issue as you'll likely not make as much money anymore but the rents never go down.

I've seen many parents and grandparents of friends having to live on scraps and decide between healthcare and rent because they just can't make ends meet anymore.

For the young folks that can't buy because they can't save its even worse, they'll be indentured servants for as long as they're useful for the labor force and will then be thrown into the bin.

My way down began at about 23. I think most people's does but they don't all realize it. I'm now 33. It's only a question of how quickly.

I suppose if it comes to that, I'll find a way to sacrifice my then-worthless life for the greater good. And it will be sad, but important.

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