Industries built to make money from the poorest part of society, particularly in the form of rents, should be scrutinized heavily at the least. But to be hones

Industries built to make money from the poorest part of society, particularly in the form of rents, should be scrutinized heavily at the least. But to be honest, I don’t think any society which tolerates profiting from its citizens’ poverty can last. It’s a sign of a society whose values are in decline and whose relationship to justice is patchy. We need to distinguish between the concept of housing as a good (something to be bought, owned, and invested in in the sense of improvement/effort) and an investment (REITs, short-term rental portfolio, non-human scale landlords). The latter is an unsustainable risk and out of accord with the traditional values of property and ownership. If the best way to succeed in society is to take rents from your fellow man, that society is unwell and approaching feudalism.