&gt; You are (party to) using the state to withhold justly earned economic value from your landlord.<p>And anyone who benefits from the zoning laws in their district benefits from influential parties using the power of the state to -in many cases- artificially restrict the supply of one type of building or another. [0] Frankly, we can play the &quot;No, <i>you&#x27;re</i> using the power of the state to...&quot; game all night long. :&#x2F;<p>&gt; &quot;justly earned economic value&quot;<p>My previous landlords did <i>nothing</i> to improve the value of their property. Indeed, my most recent landlord not-infrequently neglects even the bare minimum legally required maintenance and upkeep. They <i>earned</i> nothing. Force of law created a situation where progressively increasing housing pressure inflated the &quot;market value&quot; of their &quot;asset&quot;.<p>[0] Note: I am not railing against zoning laws in general. Segregating heavy industry from residential zones is an obvious good.