Skip to main content

Being a Landowner Isn't as Easy as Some Social Media Whiners Think

Moving.com

I've seen some posts on Facebook where they actually glorify the mass murderer Mao Zedong. One of their excuses to love Mao was the death of landlords, never mind that Mao's plan for a "Great Leap Forward" came to a crash under his rule. They keep saying that landowners are evil, that it's one of the "easiest jobs in the world". What they don't realize is that being a landowner isn't an easy task. I would like to give out my thoughts (and I'm a landowner too) as to why being a landowner isn't as easy as these social media whiners think.

From Moving.Com, we can read of the eight landlord obligations that show why being a landowner is never as easy as these social media whiners think:
  1. Offer a fair housing environment
  2. To deliver the unit as scheduled to the prospective tenant
  3. Properly manage the security deposit
  4. Ensure one has a copy of the lease (and following it)
  5. Properly maintain the rental property (which requires a lot of money)
  6. Respecting the privacy rights of the tenants by not walking in unannounced
  7. Providing notice before raising the rent
  8. To be accessible to the tenant
As a small-time landowner, I can feel all these burdens. It can go with something like:
  1. I can't discriminate against a tenant just because of their ethnicity, religion, etc. but only reject them if I'm aware of their bad activities. I can receive any tenant, whether Filipino or foreigner. It matters not if the person is a Filipino or a foreigner, as long as they're good tenants.
  2. If the scheduled delivery is done then it must be done. The only reason for delays would be that if I got really sick, there was a disaster that caused it to happen (ex. storms, floods, pandemic). Otherwise, if I expect people to rent the land, I must deliver it on time.
  3. The security deposit isn't for my spending pleasure. It's rather there just in case the tenant may not be able to pay for up to two-three months. A tenant can only be kicked out if they're unable to pay and the security deposit is over. 
  4. I must make sure that I have a copy of the contract. The contract can give me a reason to kick out the tenant or the tenant to leave. If I also violate agreements, the tenant has every right to leave my place. 
  5. I just can't doze and do nothing all the time. If there are problems like leaking faucets, bad drainage, damage from a disaster, faulty wiring, and the like then I'm required to answer these problems. As the owner of the land and/or building, I'm obligated to make sure that the property is in good condition. Otherwise, the tenant has every right to leave. That's why rental money is important because if they don't pay, what will I use to pay for the repairs?
  6. If I don't respect the privacy right of the tenants, that too can be a very good ground for why they would want to get out of the space. For example, I can't use my power as the landowner to peep into their most private moments or commit acts of voyeurism, which in themselves, are criminal acts that can give the tenants the right to move out and the duty to call the police.
  7. Any good landowner should never just raise the rent without a good reason. I should notify the tenants months beforehand that it's time to raise the rent and provide the reasons why. For example, if there's inflation or the cost of repairs has increased, it would make sense to raise rent but I need to inform the tenants first.
  8. I need to be as accessible as possible. This is because tenants will have complaints such as damages that fall under the responsibility of the landowner. As mentioned in contracts, landowners are required to make the place livable. This means that the landowner should be available as much as possible (or have someone who can help manage things) to check out any possible tenant complaints.
These principles apply to all forms of real estate businesses. It may be a piece of land that farmers rent to raise their crops. It may be the shopping mall that contains a lot of commercial establishments renting. It may be the basic commercial building rented out to different types of tenants. It may be apartment spaces and condominiums. The landowner is required to make sure that these places are rentable and livable. 

The key to long-term profitable land ownership is all about fulfilling the eight obligations. For example, I rent land to farmers or any agricultural company. The farmers find out that there are certain problems that I must fix. For example, there's stinky drainage, or the barn needs repair after a storm. I need to answer the farmers' valid complaints if I expect the farmers to continue renting. The farmers keep their net profits after taxes while I get the rental fees, from which the gross profit is deducted from. The farmers are required to pay me a reasonable amount. If I charge too low or too high, it wouldn't be good. If I bully the farmers, word of mouth can destroy me causing nobody to want to rent the space. I must also honor the rental agreements. If the farmers wish to leave for valid reasons (ex. having purchased their own land or found a better place to rent), I must respect their decision and carry out the procedures for them to move out as scheduled.

I'm also required to follow environmental laws. I should kick out a tenant who does illegal dumping. If I do illegal dumping, my tenant has the right to leave and the duty to report me to the authorities. As a landowner, I should make sure that the space for rent is clean and livable. Who would want to rent or live in a place that's poorly maintained? If I don't comply with those laws then how cna I expect to make a good long-term profit out of being a landowner? 

I'd say that those whiners have no idea of how business isn't so easy. They feel like the workers have it all hard, that the working class is "oppressed", even if the capitalist treats them rather well. One must ask if Mao treated the farmers any better during the Great Leap Forward. Mao ended up torturing farmers, whom he claimed to protect when they failed to reach his goals. Any good capitalist or businessperson knows that ethical businesses are more profitable than short-term unethical business practices. 

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Venezuela as a Cautionary Tale on #SahodItaasPresyoIbaba, Nationalistic Pride, Welfare State Economics

The Sunday Guardian Years ago, I wrote about Venezuela's pride and protectionism , under a more "formal" style of writing compared to my latest posts. I decided to use an even "less formal" and "less academic" tone since I'm not writing a term paper. Instead, it's like how a professor and a student discuss the thesis using first person over third person, using contractions, etc., while the thesis doesn't use such tones. Back on track, I thought about the arrest of Venezuelan President Maduro can spark debate. Was it a violation of sovereignty? I'm no expert on international law. However, Venezuelans can be seen celebrating Maduro's arrest. Right now, I'm using Gemini AI and Google search to help me find some sources for this blog. It's because I don't want my blog to become another gossip central, but a place to discuss facts with my own personal opinions (making sure they don't  derail the facts).  I used Venezuela ...
Read more

Venezuela's Pride and Protectionism

The Telegraph Venezuela is an oil-rich country yet it's a very poor country. Somebody could go ahead and give every unthinkable reason such as "foreign investments caused it" (a blatant lie) and "It's because America had economic sanctions in Venezuela". Yet, the answer can be found in several causes such as corruption. Yet, China and Vietnam, which can be seen to still have a good amount of corruption, are far more successful. The answer also lies in one policy--economic protectionism . The very idea that a country that first world countries used "protectionism" to succeed is a lie as proven by Venezuela's ongoing crisis. A common-sense examination of one root cause of Venezuela's continuing crisis Forbes magazine mentions this in "What Do Investors Need To Understand About Venezuela's Economic Crisis?" by Nathaniel Parish Flannery on December 21, 2016: Venezuela is far and away the worst-managed economy in the Americas . Ad...
Read more

Davide vs. Mahathir: Which Lolo Should Filipinos Take Economic Advice From?

The real issue isn't that something is old or new. Instead, if something old or new still works, or doesn't work! Many modern laws are built on some ancient principles, while adjusting to the current times!  The Constitution of Japan is actually older than the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines. However, it's more effective for the reasons that (1) their constitution is silent when it comes to regulating economic activities (ex., protectionist measures), and (2) it's a parliamentary system. Honestly, it's a pretty straightforward constitution compared to ours! As Mahatir Mohamad turned 100 today, I would like to raise up Atty. Hilario G. Davide Jr. once again. The problem isn't Davide's age but his unwillingness to embrace change when needed (read here ). This time, it's time to bring up a contrast between wise old people and unwise old people. A young person can be right where the old person is wrong. A young person can be wiser because he or she lea...
Read more

Filipino Manufacturing's Golden Age ENDED Because of the Filipino First Policy

Here's a picture from the Dose of Disbelief Page on Facebook. Here's something that it wrote: Filipinos once trusted locally made products more than imports. Before World War II, the label "Made in the Philippines" carried prestige, not stigma, reflecting a strong sense of national confidence in domestic production. Local products such as shoes, cigars, textiles, furniture, and food were often preferred over imports. This preference was rooted in the belief that local goods were better adapted to local conditions, tastes, and were often of comparable, if not superior, quality. This period showcases a strong historical era of consumer nationalism and thriving local industries. We need to look into the context of Filipino history  If we look at the Philippine history timeline , we must account for 1935-1940, during which the Philippines was under the Commonwealth government. Independence was declared from Spain on June 12, 1898. However, there was a transition period w...
Read more

Confusing Foreign Direct Investment for Foreign Imperialism for the Bajillionth Time

I guess those fools of the Philippine Anti-Fascist League (and many of its deluded supporters) either refuse to get it or are blatantly lying. Almost every rally held by what many believe are CPP-NPA legal fronts also confuses foreign investors for foreign invasion or even foreign imperialism . Once again, do I need to say that 100% FDI ownership is all about the shares and not land ownership ? What makes it even more hypocritical is that they are actually recording these things on imported media . They're sharing their anti-FDI rants using imported devices, imported platforms, and imported social media (read here ). When I do ask them on Facebook, they say how can they take them seriously and that they're "simply forced to participate in capitalism". Did anybody (especially those they call "evil capitalists") force them to buy the expensive Apple equipment when they could've settled for Xiaomi or Huawei?  A simple research on the dictionary will tell us...
Read more