I don't know if you can believe everything you read on line but I did read this today:

"Ireland launched a campaign against greedy landlords with rent control, 52% tax, no deductions, no evictions.

They succeeded & landlords left the market in droves

My guess is that most of the readers on this site will gain some manner of satisfaction that this is happening, because it proves that the liberal left is bad.

But it really shows how intense is the dissatisfaction with landlords is growing, is international in character and not likely to ever be reversed.

What has happened in not merely a question of politics, but a lesson in the law of action-reaction. One action inevitably causes a reaction, especially where human beings and emotions (not to mention dire needs). Thus failure to mediate prices, causing potential homelessness for large numbers of people, inevitably brings response by government in the form on unpleasant rules, such as price controls, forbidding of privileges against those who lack power, and now even special taxes (and high ones).

All because the landlord population prefers to exercise their power without restraint, causing government to react by taking away landlords' power.

One tenant who hasn't paid rent because of City Pandemic Protections decided not to pay their Power and Trash collection fee's. The City utility company sent out notices to the tenant, PAY OR GET YOUR POWER TURNED OFF!

Then when the tenant noticed they had no power, they reported me, the landlord, to Housing for allowing them to live in the property without power. The City ordered me to restore service, or else! I did nothing waiting for the hammer to fall.

I was ordered to a meeting with the City's General Manager for not restoring power because it it against the law to leave a tenant without curtain services.

I went to the "hearing" and laughed in their faces. I explained this isn't my first time being "played" by the City. Since the City turned off my tenants services, they were to cause of this issues and therefor had to take 50% responsibility. Until the City takes steps to restore services, I'm not required to go out of my way to resolve a problem caused by the Tenant, the City owned Utility Services and "Housing".

"Now there are 716 homes available to rent in the entire country and 150 queued for this one bed yesterday."

Tenants and Govts can regulate all they want, but regulations have never housed a person. Protests do not build or renovated houses. Investors and businesses do. And we will be paid what makes it worth our time, or we will go do something else and let the tenants fend for themselves.

So go ahead: pass a law that says no one shall pay more than $X in rent. For the 150 people queued up for that one house, 1 person will pay $X and 149 will pay nothing and get nothing.

In Ireland, it appears that Atlas has shrugged.

Well said, Sid.

Speaking of Irish, where is Charlie?

Mike A,

You want to say that policies cause rent increases. Well, it a chicken & egg problem, but it is clear that, in time, rent increases came first.

The real question that needs consideration is, if rent control, eviction moratoriums and special taxes on landlords came first, then whats a poor landlord to do? Well, raise rent, of course. But Government, who you say came first, has the power to restrict rent increases and what do landlords do next? They complain, about socialism, bad tenants, and mostly out of frustration that they are being picked on.

If rent increases came first, then the reaction of government, who is responsible for seeing that the population has housing, is to regulate rents, impose eviction regulations and can impose special taxes on landlords, and then whats a poor landlord to do?

Well, he doesn't have any power to do anything except to b*tch about socialism, because the government has power to make its moves and the landlord doesn't. Landlord can adapt and follow the rules (as most CA landlords have) or else fail to adapt and continue b*tching about socialism, and fail to ever recognize that actions cause reactions, and that excessive "jacking-up" of rents brought unpleasant consequences which are here to stay, and that the question of "Who's got the power?" is more consequential than any argument about economic system or what political theory works. (by the way, in case you haven't noticed, in today's world, Democracy is being challenged on the basis that it doesn't work [especially by the Chinese], with the evidence that it fails to provide the people with what they need. Every time that Democracy fails (homelessness, lack of health care, hunger) there are Socialists eager to show this to the world, and they are succeeding where Capitalism is remaining stagnant. I'm not a Socialist and I treasure Democracy, but I have international experience and I have seen the preference of people for Socialism over Democracy.

MikeA, I welcome your attempt at rationality, but rationality MUST be seriously logical. You need to think about what you are saying, instead of simply relying on on high school textbook about supply and demand. There are forces which do not conform to supply and demand, like the human cost of inequitable distribution of resources. I LIKE Capitalism, but I understand the shortcomings, and so should you.

For WMH, haven't you seen any of my suggestions that landlord voluntary moderation of rent increases might have prevented rent controls?

"Well, he doesn't have any power to do anything except to b*tch about socialism, because the government has power to make its moves and the landlord doesn't."

That's working out well for Ireland, they now have all the power but no rent houses so we will see who really has the power in the long run. There are two options for likely next steps for them. First, if they are smart they will back off of the crazy policies and let the supply and demand cycles bring it into equilibrium. Or alternately, they will socialize housing. My high school text books are full of examples of failed attempts by governments to provide housing, the 1970's housing projects comes to mind. There's also a few articles in there about attempts on rent control and those outcomes. I never said capitalism was perfect, only that it was better than any other form of government.

So it sounds like your solution is to just sit quietly and accept all the ludicrous inefficient policies that are coming out as the new norm. Frankly that flies in the face of the American way. If you will remember we ditched the Brits because of taxation without representation but you may not have gotten that lesson in Israel. I for one am going to stand on the square and debate with anyone on what is best for this country and not take a back seat to the vocal left.

"So it sounds like your solution is to just sit quietly and accept all the ludicrous inefficient policies that are coming out as the new norm"

Funny, but I thought I was the one (evidently the only one) who suggests any strategy for dealing with it.

Again your logic holds back any effort to understand the problem.

I don't use "Market Rents" as my guide. Too many new housing providers around here - they bought during Covid when prices were sky-high, they don't understand this tiny market yet and haven't realized that if you ask too much for rent, you will be competing for the same very few prospects who could afford that too-high rent over and over.

Instead I look at the people inquiring and what kind of money the group as an average is making. Throwing out the ridiculously low and the too-high (they will be looking to buy soon) and I concentrate on the middle of the market.

I get a few comments of "That's a lot for such a small place!" but I get more than enough, "Super Cute! When can I come see it?" Works for me.