I love Brad's idea of being called a " housing provider" rather than a landlord. Name changes cause a different regard. Just thinking since I was a boy you would never call anybody,..BLACK". In those days we called people that lived here first,. Indians, then they became Native Americans, now it seems Indigenous People by the news media. Stewardess became flight attendants as they thought that name was derogatory. Waitresses became servers or waitstaff.

Can you think of any others?

We should petition our organizations to change the name to "Housing Providers" and use that term describing our selves when ever we can,. and to contact every media outlet we can to demand the same. Also certain government agencies and anyone else we can think of that uses the archaic and derogatory term landlord.

By the way landlord isn't necessarily derogatory to me but I like the thought of making others consider that it might be to some. Especially these days.

To every tenant and applicant I'm a Leasing Specialist who works for ABC Rentals LLC (not our real name). I work for "The Man," and he's a real nut-buster. Seriously, he IS! He doesn't put up with late rent or other shenanigans. I'll try to be on your side, Mr. Applicant or Ms Tenant who wants a new fridge, but really it's usually best to just pay your rent on time, in full, as agreed or move out before he decides to file papers.

To give full credit where credit is due, this is Vena Cox-Jones' idea and she has been lobbying this at high levels already. She has a sign printed up and when anyone says Landlord she waves the sign on Zoom calls.

She did a whole thing about this which I posted here back in September 2020:

I copied this from an RE Legislative Issues FB Board. Vena Cox-Jones (I'm sure many of you know here) is the author and I requested her permission to post it here:

"DON'T CALL ME A LANDLORD.

It’s an insulting, outmoded term from a time and place that I'm grateful to have never lived in.

I neither own land that other people work, nor am I a titled noble who came into my property through inheritance, or royal grant, or taking it from someone else in battle.

My customers are not required to work for me, or take up arms for me, or be bound to my ‘land’ for their lifetimes by custom or law.

So don’t call them tenants, either.

They’re renters, who voluntarily chose to exchange their money for my shelter, and grown-ass adults who signed contracts that spelled out their responsibilities (to make the payments they agreed to make, unless I broke our agreement; to leave the property undamaged or pay for damage that they or their guests did; to obey the laws of the community) and mine (to allow them quiet enjoyment of the property; to keep it in safe and habitable condition; to honor their right to continue to live there at the same monthly payment throughout the term of their lease, unless they broke our agreement) .

We both have legal rights and protections that address exactly what happens if one of us doesn’t meet the terms of our agreement. Those laws are decades old. They strictly and clearly define the legal process that either of us has to go through to be “made whole”. They impose penalties on both sides for breaking the law of the land, or for breaking the terms of the agreement.

This isn’t feudal Europe, where ‘agreements’ came in the form of “My family has always owned this land, and your family has always worked it, and so we’re both stuck with it, whether we like it or not, because of tradition and honor. Unless I decide otherwise, of course.”

(If it was, chances are I’d never have been given the opportunity to own land, since I’m both a woman and not a member of the aristocracy. Maybe that’s why the term ‘landlord’ is particularly grating to me. It has a subtext that it’s a domain only for men, AND that I am able to live a life of leisure, neither of which is even remotely accurate as it applies to me, or to my millions of male and female colleagues who work full-time jobs to allow them to pay for, renovate, and maintain rentals.)

My relationship with my renters, under the law and for all practical purposes, is much more akin to a commercial transaction than the archaic idea of ‘landlord/tenant’ arrangements.

I offer a product—attractive, affordable places to live—that they value, and if they don’t, they choose not to do business with me.

They offer an enticement that I value—the ability and willingness to pay for that product—and if they don’t, I don’t do business with them.

I’m not a lot different than their grocer (who provides food at market rates in return for money) or their cellular service provider (who provides the ability to make calls at market rates in return for money) or their mechanic (who keeps their car running and gets paid for it, in money, at whatever rate the market will bear).

Every product or service my customers uses has things in common: they pay for it, and they fully expect that if they don’t, they won’t be able to use it anymore.

The companies that provide these have enormous capital and manpower invested in creating, providing, and maintaining what they offer, and staff to pay, and people who put up the money to do all that who have every right expect to be repaid. With interest.

The providers all have competing companies, also vying for their customer’s dollars, and they have to constantly re-invest in understanding the market, improving the product, getting better at what they do, adjusting their prices as the demand for what they offer grows and wanes or new, better products and services come onto the market. If they don’t, they go out of business, and the owners typically lose everything they’ve invested.

Just like me.

I am a lot of things: A business owner. A daughter. A sister. A partner. An animal lover. A concerned citizen. A mentor. A student. A passionate believer in freedom and justice for all. A foodie. A loud, opinionated chick. A softie. A sci-fi fan.

And a proud Rental Housing Provider.

I do NOT support the caving in to the PC crowd

the "N" word is probably the only one I don't use - other than that I make it a point to NOT NOT conform like a drone

But it is too late for many parts of the country so I guess you either move to where sane America still exists or you give in and go with the flow

English is no longer taught in grade school - it is "language arts" - so I blame the teachers union for destroying the good old USA

Language evolves all the time. We don't still say twixt and tween, do we?

I think coming up with more descriptive or more CORRECT words makes perfect sense.

Taking into account the intentions behind the words as well.

Depends what you are trying to describe. Indigenous or Aboriginal is far better than the always-incorrect Indian.

Vena is correct in her description of a Landlord and a Tenant vs. a Housing Provide and Renter. I have adopted these terms in my lease, in all my correspondence as much as possible.

When on a weekday I maybe on a chairlift at the slopes and somebody inquires what I do to be able to take every day off I proudly say LANDLORD

When I am golfing on a weekday - when asked - I proudly say a LANDLORD but I am truly a Real Estate Investor

My golfing buddy is an accountant when asked the same question as to why he is out playing he does not call himself a "number examiner"

Same when I am doing scuba or sailing on a weekday - they all inquire.

I am proud to be a LANDLORD and will sing it from the hilltops because that may actually be where I am

being a landlord affords me the lifestyle that most find envious.

only in Liberal LaLa land is it seen as a negative

The word you can't say this week is "Picnic" - guess why

This PC stuff has to stop before it ruins society

One of my favorite lines from The Sopranos is when father is talking to the daughter and says I don't care if it's the 90's, In this house it's 1954!

That's the way the show gets ran in my house as well.

I just made candles out of tallow that I rendered from deer fat that I shot in the woods myself. Think I play well with the PC crowd?

It has little or nothing to do with being "PC". As far as being soft, if you stop paying rent I doubt its because the tenant is scared of calling me a landlord.

I think politicians consider the term landlord to be negative and to be against those rich robber baron landlords makes them (think) they are friends with tenants who greatly outnumber landlord voters which gets them back in office.

I lost a long time girl friend over her saying years ago,.."you don't want to be known as a,a,a ,.....LANDLORD!!"

I even have a few relatives who use that term in that way describing me.

Like you have your gorillas

your Chimps

your Spider monkeys

and your landlords

something like that regard.

The term housing provider? will it change things much? Maybe,.but it can't be too much worse in the public eye.

Well I am not a Lord (a man) and "Landlady" has always sounded silly to me (I'm not very much of a lady either! I have a mouth like a trucker, for one.)

But I've always said "We provide decent houses to decent people" so these days I am fully embracing the HOUSING PROVIDER designation! And so that the equally silly "Cancel The Rent!" crowd gets a slap upside the head (WAKE UP!) as to what we REALLY do.

Mom / dad it's the "house provider" at the door.

WOW!!!! that sounds so intimidating "house provider".

MYOB, we don't go door to door collecting rent with a motorcycle gang at our side and I bet you don't either.

I'm an old lady. Do you think I'm intimidating anyone physically? Silly idea.

What I can and DO do (or would if I had to) is intimidate people with the rules and the law.

Well number one, you won't find me going to your door. I stopped doing that decades ago. But if I did, you should hope that the housing provider came first because no uncertain terms is the next person coming to your door going be as nice..

I don't know about your market but in mine the term landlord certainly doesn't strike fear into their hearts as they probably have been doing business with landlords for quite some time. Also they think that some local agency, politician, whatever will help them against those heartless, evil landlords. "oh no mr/ms politician,.. my housing provider wants to kick me out!" (?)

WHC kinda touchy today???

I was trying to introduce some levity into the situation. Guess since your now a HOUSE PROVIDER you've lost your LL humor?

AH YES, the rules of law? which rule might that be? the constitution that says in the 4th and 14th amendment the gov't shall not demand the LL house people in their property for NO just compensation? Those are 2 powerful laws and guess what the CDC doesn't give a hoot crap about it.

Talkin is over!!!!! arm thy self and protect the women and children and people who live in houses that are provided-- OH with 2 big screen tv's by house providers. What crapola!!!

You WMH are living in Ally world.

Hint we are not lords of the Lands-- never said that--- we are lords of our own property.

NE I'm to my limit on this capola. It's take take take from every mom and pop out there cause we're not organized. I'm not talking just LL's here either.

I'm sick and tired of the gov't-- and I mean all 6 party's.

Who the heck do they think they are? They're suppose to be for all of us-- there not! There for themselves and the deep pockets around them.

When I pull the vote leaver-- I shouldn't have to ask if I'

m voting for the lessor of 2 evils-- but that's what it's come down to.

I watch OAN news this week and it hit a point I've been espousing for 2 years. The FBI has 36 people who have enough on them to be arrest. Hard evidence. That's not including H. Bye en's kiddie porn laptop either. We have the Durham report coming out any day now-- that was 2 years ago. We have, according to our AG Barr, identified the second bomber responsible for Lockerbie bombing -- 31 years a go. We have people planning-- in the FBI -- to overthrow the current president-- CIA and FBI directors lying to congress-- under oath. One administration not turning over info to the next that's needed for defense of the country.

Myob, you're absolutely right, we landlords are not united and we never will be.

You're on your own.

NE ya know when I was wronged by the cruise lines at least I could steal the towels to make up for it.

For myself and maybe others-- the bulk of my property's are paid for-- many of my friends are not in the same boat.

They very well may and over something none of us EVER could've seen coming, planned for, insured for or even heard rumors of possibly happening.

This is theft.

when i went to pay my property taxes November I asked the tax commissioner if anything is being offered in the way of tax relief for property's not collecting rent-- 1 word answer-- NO.

So I figured I would just pay the penalty and not pay my taxes yet-- AH yea! the new penalty was 16,000.00 dollars. I asked when was that changed-- OH back in July.

That was low--- I'm sorry.

That was low--- I'm sorry.

If we are landlord then Jeffery - that makes you King of the Landlords. Sound more impressive than King of Housing Providers

Laugh all you want guys, but me, I prefer to tailor my business to giving my customers what they want so that I get what I want, which is making stress-free money. :)

If calling myself a Housing Provider makes them feel better about PAYING me, I will be a Housing Provider and feel very good about it.

If, knowing that people/governments HATE Landlords, and I still insist on being called Landlord because of some long-ago tradition or my own ego, I shouldn't be surprised if I have a harder time getting paid or getting respect or spend more time being worried about evictions.

We changed from picking up rent to getting it mailed. We changed from getting it mailed to getting it deposited. We changed from getting it deposited to electronic means of all sorts.

VERY MUCH an ego term. I can be very loud and proud about being a HOUSING PROVIDER. The term doesn't need apology. I provide a service to my community, an essential one.

I don't care if it sounds privilegesd because I don't buy into that nonsense.

What I wonder is, how long would it take before the name housing provider got tarnished?

I bet the name LL started off fine.

I wonder what the answer would be if we polled the tenants and asked them if they cared what we call ourselves?

I am betting the answer would be no.

So in the end, why go through all of the trouble of getting the name change when it will also end up tarnished.

And what does that really make us look like fighting for a name change?

That in itself would tarnish us as it appears it is even happening here.

WMH, I see some value in using the term “housing provider” similar to Sid using the term leasing specialist or property manager. Not a ton of value but I understand the argument. If it makes you feel great, go for it. I don’t think your renters will care and will likely call you their landlord despite your preference for housing provider....”honey, the stove stopped working, please call the housing provider” will never happen.

Libi, I don't see how it changes anything.

As for the name change, we may only ever know in retrospect whether it would make one iota of a difference. Maybe the term would seem softer to some.

Rats! Suckered AGAIN into reading post because I respect the poster, the subject line, and curious why so many hits.

THEN...

just another argument buy the same 2 people about the govt and the ignorance of my friends here.

Waste of my time. Skipped over. Give it a rest.

This forum has a nationwide reputation for being helpful and kind. Don't ruin it.

.

Hollis,

Thanks for the post. W's right, I got this from my friend Vena Jones-Cox, a friend of MrLandlord.com, national speaker, and trying to weave this into my vocabulary.

This is not about PC, it's about shifting the perception, talking to the govt people to help them realize what we do for the community.

We all know govt officials, liberals, news media, etc hate LLs. They use it as a derogatory term when making laws. No news here.

But they faun over and give grants and favors to Affordable Housing Providers. And THAT's what we really do.

At Vena's suggestion we are seriously considering changing our group's name away from LL ASSOC to Housing Providers.

At Jeffrey's urging years ago at Convention I stopped using the word TENANT and use RESIDENT. Much classier and respectful. Occasionally I use RENTER because the courts consider squatters as RESIDING/RESIDENTS.

BRAD

Dear suckered in. you mentioned give it a rest and waste of time and hit us with 200 words of what you think to Hollis but posted here?

We've been locked up for 10 months now -- with the same tenants....... So maybe get down off that high horse of yours and give us all a break.

I know one thing I'd really like to see and this is trying to be open and honest. The people who post regularly post strat posting at the beginning of the question.

I mention this because if you really have good input-- you shouldn't wait to the end to post--AFTER READING EVERYONE ELSES ADVIcE. Kinda cherry pickin from others.

I think the term "Housing provider" is cultural appropriation of the Govts Section 8 ideology

Oops, pardon the poor grammar. That should be House Pimp.

Tim, that's really fine - I don't care what the law is actually called. I care how we are perceived.

Shakespeare said, "What's in a name?"

allowing the CANCEL CULTURE to determine what the industry is called is to give in to the lowest segment of our society

I believe politicians are lower than Used Car salesmen and they are just below realtors...........you don't see them changing their tune

another word beside Picnic we are not allowed to use is Brown Bag

WMH - I'm not sure what the point of your comment toward me is. As I said originally, call yourself whatever you want. It doesn't matter to me.

It is massively important that many on this thread take the time to re-read OR READ ....George Orwell’s famous novel ‘1984’

Another problem that I see is the confusion that it creates.

It doesn't mean things can't change, when I was very young I remember in school we had a discussion that the respectful term was "colored" instead of some words people used. When have you heard THAT word lately?

Yes i knew a Stewardess years ago,..when have you heard that also.

My garbageman is now a trash hauler or sanitation person even recycler. There are a number of other examples. Some people here are trying to make it them against us class examples.

"I would say that "housing provider" is more of an ego term than "landlord". Landlord is tried and true. Housing provider is mushy nonsense"

Actually I think its the other way "I am the LANDLORD"

talk about an ego term!

Tried and true? so are those other terms mentioned above.

You can change the wording in your leases/rental contracts, (maybe you would feel better to add in the beginning a clause that the term landlord and housing provider will be used as same.

Then the worry about politicians and courts.It seems like many of the same people who worry about being lead by the nose of these people accept that they have to tow the line of what those people dictate.

Tim, my comment was just about your comment that the law refers to tenants and landlords, and that's fine. They don't have to change laws for me to change terms. The law is often behind "real life."

Jeffrey stopped using "Tenant" years and years ago. He has always preached that "Resident" was perhaps the more respectful and correct term.

Well WMH your last sentence is perfect-- perfect for you. YOU AGREE. That's what's so great about this site-- you say two may toe I say zucchini.

I personally like to show an upper level of respect to my T's by referring to them while on the phone or in a letter as Our resident. Been doing that since 1988.

When discussing them here on this site or other sites Tenant will do.

Now "LL'd" that's another thing. When I check Title 44-7 of the GA code on Tenant / LL issues and laws-- although we like Resident-- legally it's referred to as TENANT.

I can hear it now when I call Carlos my MMan -- he's now known as Home Provider Engineer? That may come with pay raise for the new title.