This is the best way to bust the landlord monopoly (if there is one). Build more houses than we need. Suddenly those landlords have to compete for good tenants

This is the best way to bust the landlord monopoly (if there is one). Build more houses than we need. Suddenly those landlords have to compete for good tenants. And monopolistic cooperation will suddenly become impossible: when vacancies go up, and finance costs stay the same... the pressure will be on, and all it takes is a single landlord to cave and lower his rent to break the whole thing apart. Before I moved to Canada, I lived in a country with surplus housing. Renting there was not only incredibly cheap, but very easy to arrange. You could play prospective landlords off each other to get better rent or have them do minor renovations. Legislation makes little to no difference in the face of market power.