---

Posted by Unstoppable Ed on August 21, 2000 at 23:34:57:

In Reply to: Protesting against bad landlords- Shaming them posted by Bryan on August 21, 2000 at 22:23:32:

Before you rush out with the protest signs, you need to dig deeper into the issues you raised. An old building is going to have higher maintainance costs and repair issues, making it less profitable to run, and older poorly maintained apartments have cheaper rents, making them attractive to poor people and new immigrants. Drug use is a wider neighborhood (and societal) problem, and unless the tenant/drug dealers themselves are arrested there is little the landlord can do. And in New York City, a building can be issued a violation for actions caused by a tenant.

You say you are a property owner. Would you want your name published, or protesters showing up in front of your house, if your home needed a repair ? If you want to help poor tenants, why not help them by identifying neighborhoods with better housing ? Or better maintained buildings at lower rents ? Their moving out will have much more direct effect on the landlord's bottom line than any protest sign. If you want to look at the wider issues, study housing, construction and landlord/tenant law in your city. How easy is it to build a new building ? What challenges (neighborhood opposition, zoning laws, redundant/delayed permits, corrupt building inspectors) does a potential builder need to go through to build, and how do you think this affects the cost and availability of housing ?

As you might imagine I know a few building owners -- many of whom are immigrants and/or poor themselves, who nonetheless spend long hours doing things you'd rather not do to maintain their buildings. You need to educate yourself and focus on finding solutions rather than on blaming and shaming.

Follow Ups:

---

Note: Posting is disabled in all archives
Post a Followup

Name    : 
E-Mail  : 
Subject : 

Comments:
: Before you rush out with the protest signs, you need to dig deeper into the issues you raised.  An old building is going to have higher maintainance costs and repair issues, making it less profitable to run, and older poorly maintained apartments have cheaper rents, making them attractive to poor people and new immigrants.  Drug use is a wider neighborhood (and societal) problem, and unless the tenant/drug dealers themselves are arrested there is little the landlord can do.  And in New York City, a building can be issued a violation for actions caused by a tenant.

: You say you are a property owner.  Would you want your name published, or protesters showing up in front of your house, if your home needed a repair ?  If you want to help poor tenants, why not help them by identifying neighborhoods with better housing ?  Or better maintained buildings at lower rents ? Their moving out will have much more direct effect on the landlord's bottom line than any protest sign.  If you want to look at the wider issues, study housing, construction and landlord/tenant law in your city.  How easy is it to build a new building ?  What challenges (neighborhood opposition, zoning laws, redundant/delayed  permits, corrupt building inspectors) does a potential builder need to go through to build, and how do you think this affects the cost and availability of housing ? 

: As you might imagine I know a few building owners -- many of whom are immigrants and/or poor themselves, who nonetheless spend long hours doing things you'd rather not do to maintain their buildings.  You need to educate yourself and focus on finding solutions rather than on blaming and shaming.


Optional Link URL:  
Link Title:         
Optional Image URL: 

---