New BiggerPockets Article: In Defense of Landlords

There has been a growing animus toward landlords in the United States, as well as on property rights in general. Indeed, not long ago there was a push to actually make it illegal to screen for evictions and felonies in Kansas City, MO. 

The bill that was eventually passed was much more reasonable. Even still though, many unreasonable bills are being passed throughout the country and this hostility toward property rights is not going to stop anytime soon. So I figured it would be a good idea to write a defense of landlords. Especially since many people are quite confused about how much money we make and what landlords offer.

It’s quite odd to me that landlords are sometimes seen as substantively different than other entrepreneurs or investors. Would politicians and community activists prefer real estate investors just sent their money to Wall Street instead of investing it in their own backyards, simultaneously improving and maintaining properties in their communities?

And it’s not a small sum invested either. In 2012, BiggerPockets and Memphis Invest conducted a survey and found that the 28.1 million American real estate investors put in $9.2 billion to renovate housing. That number has certainly gone up substantially in the past seven years. And while much of that was to renovate dilapidated properties in order to resell, a huge amount went into rentals, as well. Further, that $9.2 billion doesn’t count institutional investors, real estate development, commercial renovations, or the costs that go along with property management (such as turnover expenses).
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Again, would it be better if these 28.1 million real estate investors sent all that money to Wall Street?

The article clocks in at 3500 words and I believe it may be the most thorough defense of landlords around. So please check it out!