Renter protections are always highly contentious. They get at a deep-seated tension in capitalism: What is for one person an asset, an investment and a revenue stream is for another person a home — filling a basic need, something without which life falls apart. Are property rights sacred, or is housing a human right? You can’t have both.
This column is part of a series on renter protections. Read the first installment here.
The pressing need for renter protection laws generally arises in hot housing markets. With renters competing for units, landlords have little incentive to work with someone who struggles to pay on time, or whom they dislike for
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