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> Reducing rents may also maximize revenue by reducing vacancy. Yeah but come on were you born yesterday. > The reason the algorithm recommends landlords to i

> Reducing rents may also maximize revenue by reducing vacancy. Yeah but come on were you born yesterday. > The reason the algorithm recommends landlords to increase rents more often than it recommends them to decrease rents The algorithm causing landlords to raise rents is the problem with the use of the algorithm, the subject of discussion. The mechanics of how the algorithm comes to that conclusion may be technically interesting but are not the problem, nor the solution, to rents being raised. We can solve the underlying problem and ban this shit. We don't have to choose one neither blocks us from dealing with the other. This is happening now and would be easy to stop, if we wanted to. What do you gain from making people think we can't or shouldn't stop this?

Aunche 4y ago
> What do you gain from making people think we can't or shouldn't stop this? Because they aren't doing anything illegal. They are merely facilitating price discovery. If they really were creating a cartel of landlords, then they would be selling a broken product. For example, for simplicity's sake, let's say that a city has a lot of landlords, but all their units are identical and they all follow the RealPage algorithm for price suggestions. Realpage suggests that they charge an exorbitant $10000 per unit, which leads to only 50% of all units being occupied, so your expected value of $5000 per unit. However, if you're a landlord, you'd be better off renting your units at $9000, leading to 90% occupancy. Your expected profit per unit is $8100, so you're actually much better off without the algorithm.
- giraffe_lady 4y ago
  Do laws come down from heaven in this view? We make them when we find that something is harmful. This is harmful. We can make it illegal. What it could be matters for shit. What it is in practice is maximizing wealth extraction from the people least likely to be able to bear it towards those who already, necessarily, have much more of it.

Aunche 4y ago

> What do you gain from making people think we can't or shouldn't stop this? Because they aren't doing anything illegal. They are merely facilitating price discovery. If they really were creating a cartel of landlords, then they would be selling a broken product. For example, for simplicity's sake, let's say that a city has a lot of landlords, but all their units are identical and they all follow the RealPage algorithm for price suggestions. Realpage suggests that they charge an exorbitant $10000 per unit, which leads to only 50% of all units being occupied, so your expected value of $5000 per unit. However, if you're a landlord, you'd be better off renting your units at $9000, leading to 90% occupancy. Your expected profit per unit is $8100, so you're actually much better off without the algorithm.

giraffe_lady 4y ago
Do laws come down from heaven in this view? We make them when we find that something is harmful. This is harmful. We can make it illegal. What it could be matters for shit. What it is in practice is maximizing wealth extraction from the people least likely to be able to bear it towards those who already, necessarily, have much more of it.