> those who hoard housing should get a kick from a exponential tax.
Yes, but at the same time it should not be possible for them to pass those costs on to people renting the house; rents should be fixed, or based on things like floor space and amenities.
But personally I think everyone should have a way in to the housing market. Renting is throwing away money; it goes into someone else's pocket and it's gone. When you buy a house you pay off a mortgage on the one hand, and (in today's economy) your property appreciates in value. Combine that with the issue that over here, a mortgage is cheaper than rent, and you can see how it's a huge issue.
I've spent something like €50.000 in rent before I finally bought a house; part of that was because I didn't want any longer term commitments, part was because I couldn't afford a house because even then the price of housing was going up sharply already. That's a lot of money that I'll never see again.
Yes, but at the same time it should not be possible for them to pass those costs on to people renting the house; rents should be fixed, or based on things like floor space and amenities.
But personally I think everyone should have a way in to the housing market. Renting is throwing away money; it goes into someone else's pocket and it's gone. When you buy a house you pay off a mortgage on the one hand, and (in today's economy) your property appreciates in value. Combine that with the issue that over here, a mortgage is cheaper than rent, and you can see how it's a huge issue.
I've spent something like €50.000 in rent before I finally bought a house; part of that was because I didn't want any longer term commitments, part was because I couldn't afford a house because even then the price of housing was going up sharply already. That's a lot of money that I'll never see again.