Renters Bill of Rights rolled out by Biden

Owners will sell. China will (continue) to buy.
Nice move. /s

a reply to: Xtrozero

I think it would be easier for young people with no wife and no children to skirt by. I even think that I would be able to make it as an old broad, if I had no concerns and obligations beyond myself. But for anyone with a family, falling on hard times can be catastrophic.

I know the first place that people want to turn is the government. The government was never constructed to provide food, shelter, clothing, and other basic needs for its citizens. Personally, I believe that community was what was devised to stave off slim times. It was far more dangerous and difficult to make it in isolation and alone. A group provided protection, love, connection, understanding and compassion for others. Community was about sharing, growth, and safety. It worked. People survived. They grew in numbers, and they were sustainable. Until they weren't.

Hardships bind people together. Excess drives them apart. America was once thought of as the Golden country by many in poor areas of other countries. I have had folk from other countries tell me they came because they were told there were no hungry people in America. That was basically true. Not so much any, but there were very few places where the hungry could not get a meal.

Even now in my community we have food pantries, and many of the churches feed those that need food. I know of restaurants that provide food for the hungry, six of them are owned by friends of mine. I am sure there are lots more. But as businesses shut down, and food and products become scarce, Americans may be the ones seeking refuge in another Golden country.

originally posted by: Creep Thumper
a reply to: tanstaafl
You know nothing about me.

Sortof - all I know about you is from the things you say here.

And I stand by my assessment of your words.

I'm looking at people suffering financially. I have compassion for them. That's means I'm a commie?

When your compassion for people suffering causes you to express communistic views of 'what should be done', yes.

I feel for people suffering financially, I really do. That doesn't mean I believe that their suffering gives them some kind of claim on someone else's property/life. You apparently (by what you have said) do.

a reply to: tanstaafl

I feel for people suffering financially, I really do. That doesn't mean I believe that their suffering gives them some kind of claim on someone else's property/life. You apparently (by what you have said) do.

This is exactly right, also in the end this isn’t good for poor people either.
Once all the middle class sells their rentals, and the corporate mongers have a monopoly that is when they
Will really raise rents and everyone will have to work two jobs.

originally posted by: JAGStorm
a reply to: tanstaafl

I feel for people suffering financially, I really do. That doesn't mean I believe that their suffering gives them some kind of claim on someone else's property/life. You apparently (by what you have said) do.

This is exactly right, also in the end this isn’t good for poor people either.
Once all the middle class sells their rentals, and the corporate mongers have a monopoly that is when they
Will really raise rents and everyone will have to work two jobs.

Once you sacrifice your freedom for comfort, that door closes and it never opens again. The folk of the future will have to wear down the lock after centuries of pushing, shoving, and broken backs, or they will have to blow the damn thing up.

a reply to: JAGStorm

PLEASE tell me WHAT protection renters have? I am in Florida and renters have NO rights, NONE, NADDA! What a load of garbage you spew with that opinion. Maybe get you facts straight before making such comments.

Florida has more slumlords because there are no laws protecting tenants. I KNOW all to damn well! Don't even get me started. My lawyer I had for my slumlord even told me Florida has the WORST laws that protect the LANDLORD NOT THE TENANT!

There needs to be something done to the rental prices, they are out of control!

Here is an idea if you can't afford to be a multiple homeowner you SHOULD NOT BE ONE!

I also work in insurance and the cost of insurance is insane here along with the cost of housing in general. You need to make at least $35/hr to qualify for the average rental rate and that is not what most make here! I make $21/hr and still can't get a place and am homeless all because I tried to fight a SLUMLORD so PLEASE tell me what rights I have?!

a reply to: JAGStorm


You make an awful lot of assumptions. So you assume people with bad credit are bad tenants? That is utter crap. People with great credit can be terrible tenants and trash a place too.

I have NO credit because I refuse to have credit cards or go into debt for things I can't afford just to fit into society. I pay my bills on time every month yet people like YOU think I am bad because I have bad credit.

Ego much?

a reply to: mblahnikluver

I was a renter in FLORIDA, renters absolutely have rights there

www.hud.gov...
And here
www.flsenate.gov...

“Here is an idea, if you can’t afford to be a multiple homeowner you SHOULD NOT BE ONE”

Do you know how idiotic that sounds? You do know landlords are in it to make MONEY, not to be a charity.
That’s like saying if grocery stores can’t afford to give away their products they shouldn’t be one. In the same breath you say insurance and costs are insane. Who should pay for those costs? Should others pay that cost for you?

It is a shame you are homeless but you do know there are other states you can move to. Florida is a tourist state and in such has MUCH higher costs of housing. Do you know that with what you make you can EASILY afford a comfortable living in many other states. People don’t want to hear about solutions, they just want to complain about those perceived that have more than them (landlords)

PS> true slumlords suck, and really bad tenants suck too.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Most States already have "renter's Bill of Rights".

Just further govt. overreach trying to look like they're doing something besides destroying the country.

a reply to: mblahnikluver

You make an awful lot of assumptions. So you assume people with bad credit are bad tenants? That is utter crap. People with great credit can be terrible tenants and trash a place too.

They aren’t bad tenants but they are a BAD Risk, that’s a fact Jack!
With any business you have to weigh risks.
Supply and demand too. If rentals had no tenants they wouldn’t be able to be so picky.

Here is what I said btw

If LANDLORDS have to accept people without a detailed credit history, or “alternative” credit score, then every single bank and government office should too, (of course they wouldn’t).

I’m not a landlord but if I had to choose between two people, a family with a great credit history or someone without one, why on GODS earth would I choose the one without one? Either we live in a country that uses credit scores or we don’t. This crap where they get to choose when and were credit scores are valid is pure Bunk!

I never said they are bad or will trash the place, I did say why would I choose?
You are right, people with great credit can and do trash places, but people with great credit have shown they have credit worthyness, which shows
at the very least, they pay their bills.

a reply to: mblahnikluver

My heart goes out to you in you situation.

We don't have Renters Rights in Arkansas either and our apartments were just bought out by a company from Michigan and our rates jumped $200.

We may not have a place next year and we've lived here for eighteen years.

a reply to: JAGStorm

AND WHERE do you expect people to go??? They have no choice but to pay and have multiple roommates just to be able to qualify for the rental income requirements.

You live in a bubble of your own comfort and clearly can't put yourself in someone else's shoes.

I will DIE on this hill when it comes to rental prices. I will also die on the hill of housing costs in Florida which are ridiculous and overpriced.

How is one supposed to save to move if they are forking over double or triple what they used to pay?!?! THEY CANT!

a reply to: mblahnikluver

AND WHERE do you expect people to go??? They have no choice but to pay and have multiple roommates just to be able to qualify for the rental income requirements. You live in a bubble of your own comfort and clearly can't put yourself in someone else's shoes. I will DIE on this hill when it comes to rental prices. I will also die on the hill of housing costs in Florida which are ridiculous and overpriced. How is one supposed to save to move if they are forking over double or triple what they used to pay?!?! THEY CANT!

I don’t live in a bubble, I was VERY very very low income at one point in my life. I worked in a store and couldn’t even afford something for $8 bucks. (I worked 3 jobs at the time too) I have moved many many times for many different reasons. It may seem heartless or cold but what I’m advising is actually advice I myself had to swallow, even when I didn’t want to.

Where do I expect people to go? You go where it is cheaper which is a lot of places outside of Florida. Florida isn’t as bad as California but it is still pretty darn expensive when it comes to housing. If you like the warmth, head over to Alabama, or Tennessee.
How does one save to move. See that is where sacrifice comes in, which it seems very few want to do.
It doesn’t take a lot to move. It’s all about choices. The problem is people often have a lot of stuff. Stuff can be replaced. A body and a car, plane ticket, bus ticket is all that is needed.

a reply to: mblahnikluver

www.apartments.com...

Look at these apartments in Birmingham Alabama for example. (no it doesn't have to be Birmingham, but just as an example)
If you filter a range from 600-900 many many places show up.

If you make $21 hr full time, this is in alignment with recommend housing costs.
That's about 800 or so a week, so that leaves a lot left over.

Now if you got a roomate, and split the cost, you could take 1/2 the cost you would have used for housing and put it in savings or invest. That would be around 4800+ in one year alone. (one year!)
You could then have enough for a down payment for a condo or townhouse.
Something like this
www.zillow.com...

You could live there for a few years and spruce it up and then resell get a little profit, then buy this

www.zillow.com...

a reply to: JAGStorm

Are you figuring in food, utilities, insurance, gas, miscellaneous expenses? Probably not. Twenty-one dollars an hour doesn't buy as much as it used to.

I think you based your estimations on his gross paycheck. Subtract taxes and try again.

originally posted by: Creep Thumper
a reply to: JAGStorm

Are you figuring in food, utilities, insurance, gas, miscellaneous expenses? Probably not. Twenty-one dollars an hour doesn't buy as much as it used to.

No it doesn't buy as much as it used to, but it is still a livable amount, BUT it is not a livable amount in a high cost of living area. I did a quick break down in a reasonable area. These are estimates, these do no include things like health insurance but I used the high estimates on some of the others. This is also based on a single person. Of course some of these things are not 100% but I am using estimates that I looked up, like 60ish for gas, 130ish for auto insurance, montly groceries for one person, etc. Fun money would also encompass things like clothing, eating out, pet care.

a reply to: JAGStorm

There are only four weeks in a month for one thing. Your insurance estimate is laughable. My health insurance premium runs nearly $1000/month.

Your utilities estimate is also laughable. Did you include a phone along with gas/electric? Doesn't look like it.

originally posted by: Creep Thumper
a reply to: JAGStorm

There are only four weeks in a month for one thing. Your insurance estimate is laughable. My health insurance premium runs nearly $1000/month.

Your utilities estimate is also laughable. Did you include a phone along with gas/electric? Doesn't look like it.

This is an estimate, but for clarity sake.
Ok let's go by yearly, 35,152 K divided by 12 = 2929 a month. A little can be shaved off of savings, or maybe not.
Maybe this person doesn't have an auto loan etc.
Again I'm using estimates for utilities, some regions are very high. I pay roughly 200 a month in utilities (I have well water)
Some apartment include heat, some don't some include water and garbage some don't. Phone plans vary by a wide margin. You can get a pay as you go for a very low amount. You can get a minutes only plan and use public wifi.

Your health insurance premium is very high, again, that is going to be something that is different for each person and job that they are in, some pay nothing extra for insurance or very little.

This whole illustration is to show it's A LOT more feasible in a lower cost of living area, vs almost impossible in a high cost of living area.
So what is one to do? Get mad and expect other people in those areas to GIVE their income to people (that's not going to happen)

a reply to: JAGStorm

At least you admit you could be off by a margin.

a reply to: Creep Thumper

Yes, montly is probably a more accurate budget
I updated the chart, the 35K is yearly after taxes.

I did a quick look at several places in Florida. It seems that
the lowest rent is around 1500 and most rents average around 2K or more a month.

For someone making 21 an hour, that isn't possible without a roomate. It's simple math.
This isn't one or two areas, the whole state. As I mentioned, California is similar.
So let's say the government get's involved, do you think they are going to lower rents enough that it would even make a difference to someone? They aren't going to lower anything, but they might make it more difficult to increase a huge amount, but maybe not...

Seiberg also questioned how a federal regime would actually work, given costs vary from city to city and buildings may get remodeled or upgraded. "The FTC is a relatively small agency," Seiberg added. "We don't see how it could account for all this in a way that could survive court challenges."