Yes they are horrible and yes they are exploiting people. It&#x27;s not a service, they are exploiting the capped supply of a basic need.<p>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? Yes there is a need for rentals but this should be within a world where we have land value tax so the bulk of the gain is passed onto the state to reduce labour taxes, reduce land costs and improve living standards.<p>These guys are adding nothing, they are taking labour.<p>The cost of a home is not the cost of the bricks it&#x27;s the cost of the land in the main areas with employment prospects.<p>The USA was originally a land of opportunity. Why? Because you could get hold of land cheap. You were no longer constrained to near-serfdom by total land enclosure in Europe. Now here we are back to square one with the rentiers creaming off labour and books on how to join them.