&gt; The argument about &quot;if nobody rents out&quot; is just wrong. Are they going to knock the place down if they don&#x27;t rent?<p>They will construct a building that earns them money. So all those people who rented the apartments are now homeless and their former homes are now an office complex, a parking garage, or a CVS.<p>Net result: land owner makes money (still), but now people are homeless.<p>&gt; this should be within a world where we have land value tax<p>We live in a country where property taxes exist.  These people (usually) pay them and it&#x27;s not cheap.  In fact, high property taxes fuel higher property values in the US.<p>Also interesting, property taxes are also a form of rent.  They are often used by the local governments to force people off of their land.  This is usually the first step to gentrifying a neighborhood.  Rising property taxes cause property values to rise, creating a property tax feedback loop that forces people from their homes.  This exact thing happened in my home town where property taxes doubled, then housing values went from $40k to $120k in like five years, effectively increasing taxes 6-fold in the neighborhood.<p>&gt; Yes they are horrible and yes they are exploiting people<p>People need food, clothing and shelter.  Companies sell food and clothing and I&#x27;m sure you think that&#x27;s okay, but a company selling shelter is exploitation?<p>You are telling me that I&#x27;m being exploited because I live in a rental property.  I just don&#x27;t see it.  I gain more value from my place than I lose in rental fees.  Being able to move cheaply and quickly has earned me tens of thousands of dollars in extra wages and saved me tens of thousands in real estate transaction fees and maintenance.<p>Plus, I get to sleep indoors.<p>&gt; The USA was originally a land of opportunity. Why? Because you could get hold of land cheap.<p>There&#x27;s cheap land all over the US.  Throughout most of the midwest, you can buy acres and acres of productive, high quality land for &lt;$10k acre.  You won&#x27;t have neighbors for miles and you&#x27;ll have to construct your own roads, but it&#x27;s out there and abundant, just like it was in the 19th century.