tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343567357202223317.post806554377454565548..comments2023-09-20T17:55:43.908-05:00Comments on BookLust: Slumlord MillionairesAartihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02354873119188597611noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343567357202223317.post-85789728204468537832016-05-12T18:50:54.152-05:002016-05-12T18:50:54.152-05:00I can see how this would be a very sad book to rea...I can see how this would be a very sad book to read. Although not the same, but in a similar vein, over the last few years there have been a rash of instances where people rent properties through someone only to find out later it was a scam. Often times, these are people who do not have much, are desperate for a place to live and now they are out of the money for rent or a down payment. It is sick how people take advantage of others.<br /><br />I get a lot of calls at my office from landlords on the verge of evicting families. Sometimes I think they are hoping we can help the process along faster. I suppose we can if a person ends up getting arrested or runs to avoid us, but on the other side of the coin, my agency can connect them to resources to help them stay if they're willing as well.Literary Felinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13079276242303738719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343567357202223317.post-58421035943418952142016-05-11T20:07:03.231-05:002016-05-11T20:07:03.231-05:00I have this on my to-read list. Listening to the d...I have this on my to-read list. Listening to the description makes me think about Adrian LeBlanc's Random Family, which just focused on a group of family/friends in the Bronx for a few years and everything that happened then. This book is of course more focused on the particular issue of eviction, but the whole snowball effect and how the cost of mistakes is compounded if you're already poor. Christy (A Good Stopping Point)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07197508098706711940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343567357202223317.post-88026826381899544712016-05-03T12:25:41.346-05:002016-05-03T12:25:41.346-05:00I would really like to read this although I know i...I would really like to read this although I know it will be depressing and difficult to get through. Personally I grew up with very little, and the only reason I consistently had a roof over my head is that my grandfather purchased a small condo for my family to live in, knowing full well that my parents weren't going to be able to regularly make rent if they had to rent apartments forever. I consider that a huge privilege and I'm mindful of the fact that my childhood could have been a LOT different had he not done that for my family.<br /><br />Also, not to defend landlords, because they can do awfully horrible things to people, especially people who have very little in terms of resources, but working in banking for so many years has exposed me to both sides of this thing. And many landlords are barely earning enough on the rent to pay their mortgage, so when a tenant is late or doesn't pay at all, it can seriously screw up the landlord's finances. Of course that's not an excuse for them treating a tenant badly, but it does put them in a difficult, often desperate situation as well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343567357202223317.post-77579788023480718292016-05-03T07:50:18.606-05:002016-05-03T07:50:18.606-05:00I know, it can be horrible! But at the same time,...I know, it can be horrible! But at the same time, I think it must be very difficult to be a landlord. Especially if you are dealing with things far beyond your field of experience. I don't really want to think, "God, landlords are the worst." I think the difficulty is in the imbalance of power and information; it makes it pretty easy to take advantage of a situation and a person.Aartihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02354873119188597611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343567357202223317.post-89952821025733269872016-05-03T07:31:03.010-05:002016-05-03T07:31:03.010-05:00I agree. I think a lot of that is the psychology ...I agree. I think a lot of that is the psychology of - when good things happen to me, it's because I deserve it. When good things happen to you, it's because you're lucky. And the converse is true of bag things. Empathy can be in short supply in those cases.Aartihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02354873119188597611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343567357202223317.post-13286204794895600762016-05-02T20:15:21.140-05:002016-05-02T20:15:21.140-05:00I nearly picked this up at the library a few weeks...I nearly picked this up at the library a few weeks ago, but couldn't quite bear to. Since I have a few family members who work for homeless shelters (and one who handles fair rent complaints), I hear a lot about this topic anecdotally. I'd like to say that nothing landlords do could surprise me, no predatory thing, but actually, I keep perpetually being shocked that people can treat other people so badly. It makes me feel really helpless. :(Jenny @ Reading the Endhttp://readingtheend.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343567357202223317.post-35355543230892157282016-05-02T19:35:22.568-05:002016-05-02T19:35:22.568-05:00The thing that gets to me when people talk about o...The thing that gets to me when people talk about others getting what they deserved for making mistakes is that all of us have made mistakes. Maybe my mistakes didn't happen to involve taking drugs or committing a serious crime, but I've done dumb things out of laziness or exhaustion or not knowing any better. And I was lucky enough that I didn't have to deal with serious consequences. Making a mistake or even a series of mistakes shouldn't mean losing your home (or not having enough to eat, for that matter). There should be room for mistakes in life. Teresahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09896331683344872038noreply@blogger.com