Editor’s Note: The following article was originally published by Cynthia Griffith on Invisible People on February 14, 2025.
From Unjust Rent Hikes to Legislative Threats, Landlords Wield Outsized Power, Undermining Housing Stability and Democratic Rights
The power imbalance in life and in the courtroom shifts all of the chips into the hands of landlords; some use it to make overt threats.
Who are they threatening, you might ask. According to recent news, the answer is everyone—from tenants to lawmakers, potential new renters to housing advocates to voters, and more.
If you’ve ever wondered who wields the most power in any given society, look to whoever acts as though they are above the law. Discover why housing is the key to much more than infrastructure.
When Landlords Abuse Their Power, Entire Communities Pay the Price
Renters are being nickled, pennied, and dimed to death. With rental rates continuing at an all-time high, more than 22 million tenant households are struggling with cost burden, meaning they are forking over more than 30% of their salaries on housing alone. And according to the US Census Bureau, this is only the tip of the iceberg in burgeoning inflation.
In 2023, for example, the cost of rent and utilities went up at lightning speed, even faster than the actual median home values did. These are the big-ticket items that are dominating the headlines. Still, rising rents and utility rates are not the only way landlords negatively contribute to the growing homeless crisis.
Overexerting their power is creating homelessness too. Here’s what we mean.
When Colorado resident Ricardo Fourzan was hit with yet another service fee in addition to his regular rental rate, he was puzzled. He was, after all, already paying a trash fee along with a charge to utilize the on-site amenities, but this was new.
Mid-lease, the owners of his apartment community, which is Peakline at Copperleaf, decided to add a $20 fee for a delivery service and to make that fee mandatory for people like Fouzan who choose not to use the service and were accustomed to the previously free mailroom deliveries.
The added charge came in the form of a lease addendum, which, in theory, is a voluntary agreement. However, choosing not to sign it could mean facing serious consequences like harassment, utility shutoffs, or even eviction.
Most renters are well aware of the powerful position the landlord plays and are unwilling to gamble with their lives and risk the possibility of homelessness. In the end, they will suck it up and pay the fee, no matter how big or small. In the words of Human Rights Watch, “The Tenant Never Wins.” And this confiscation of their freedom, this feeling like they have to sign paperwork they don’t want to sign, is the real intrusion; it’s not just about the $20.
When Landlords Wield Power to Threaten Democracy and Housing Stability
Countless symbolic examples of this have appeared in recent times. Take, for instance, South Side Chicago mega landlords Group Fox and Horizon Realty, who took it upon themselves in March to let it be known that rent hikes would take place if their tenants voted in favor of the Bring Chicago Home housing referendum, which, if passed, would have provided an additional $100 million per year towards the city’s fight against homelessness.
And if you think it’s bad that tenants are not allowed to vote in favor of legislation they agree with if their landlord disagrees with it, then wait until you find out landlords are threatening lawmakers with “waves of tenant-made homelessness” if they dare pass any renter protections such as banning no-fault evictions.
Do you have any idea how powerful someone has to be to stare down the legislative heavy hitters and threaten to go ahead and make everyone homeless if you don’t get your way? This level of audacity is evidence of a disturbing dynamic, and Attorney Leah Goodridge says it must be named.
The Landlord Power Dynamic is an Obscure but Very Real Instrument of Societal Destruction
“Naming the power dynamic is key when discussing tenants and landlords. One of these entities clearly has more power than the other, so it’s deceptive to pretend they’re on even ground,” Attorney Goodridge explained in an exclusive discussion with Invisible People.
What makes the power dynamic so dangerous is that landlords, unlike other vendors selling a service or product, are selling an essential need. Without housing, people cannot live. Without stable housing, people cannot maintain stability in other areas of their lives, like education, healthcare, employment, etc. And without affordable housing, people are forced to cut corners in all the worst ways.
It’s Time to Ask Your Legislators Why Housing is Not a Human Right
We live in a time and place where it’s more acceptable to criticize the president than to criticize a corporate landlord with a large portfolio. I would know (I have criticized both but only received a legal letter from one of these entities, and it wasn’t from the president).
Since the pandemic created more poverty and more billionaires simultaneously, this aspect of corporate corruption has only gotten worse. We have reached a pivotal moment when you cannot afford to criticize your landlord or even vote against them without serious repercussions.
Rights we hold dear are being denied because the housing we need to survive is being held over our heads. It’s high time things change.
Talk to your legislators about fighting against corruption by making housing a human right nobody, not even a wealthy, powerful landlord, can revoke.
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