Home
/
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
/
Banning evictions poses harm for low-income renters
Banning evictions poses harm for low-income renters
Jul 6, 2025 7:30 PM

When investors are not able to make a profit in one area, they will move to another. Under the threat of eviction bans, landlords have even greater cause to discriminate against e renters.

Read More…

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to strike down President Joe Biden’s recent renewal of the eviction mortarium as issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention e as no surprise.

Even President Joe Biden publicly doubted whether his eviction ban was legal, admitting at an Aug. 3 news conference that, “the bulk of the constitutional scholarship says that it’s not likely to pass constitutional muster.” In an Aug. 2 statement, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that, “CDC Director Rochelle Walensky and her team have been unable to find legal authority for a new, targeted eviction moratorium.”

The Supreme Court settled the question of constitutionality in a 6-3 opinion on Aug. 26. But beyond the legal arguments, suppose that Biden did have the power to ban evictions — or suppose Congress decided to go through legitimate channels to ban evictions. Would a ban effectively help e renters?

The sentiment behind the ban is certainly admirable. An eviction ban, its proponents argue, would keep families off the streets during the pandemic. Unfortunately, the true impact of the ban will harm the very people it attempts to help. Perversely, the ban will result in higher prices for e housing and lower prices for luxury housing. This is because it disincentivizes landlords from investing in e housing. The eviction ban threatens the very mechanism for improving the housing supply and creatively adapting to people’s needs.

Some would argue that this market is a zero-sum game. Sure, landlords may lose some e, but renters are in a far more desperate plight. The issue is as simple as deciding who has greater need. Further, they argue, landlords do not really contribute anything productive to society since they simply hold assets.

This is a woefully plete view of the economy. In fact, the market is a dynamic force and landlords play a crucial part in improving the housing supply. Landlords acquire properties and adapt them to suit demand. In the current climate, much innovation is needed. Vacant shopping malls and corporate offices can be converted into plexes; duplexes and triplexes can be built to increase options for families. More peting in this space will result in better quality housing and lower prices.

The eviction ban does the opposite of this dynamic process. Not only must landlords foot the bill for months of mortgage payments, upkeepand utilities, but they also have no way to plan for the future. The cost of running a rental property has significantly increased. In some cases, investors will go out of business or move their investment to more profitable areas. A survey taken last year among small-scale landlords found that over 30% faced pressure to sell their property due to reduction in e. This is particularly worrisome since small-scale landlords own a large proportion of the affordable housing market.

Now there may be a case to be made for a legal short-term eviction ban by Congress for reasons of public health. But we must first realize that any eviction es with long-term harm to e renters. And certainly any months-long ban would be incredibly harmful to the rental market, creating negative impacts for e renters for years e.

This long-term harm ripples out far into the future. When investors are not able to make a profit in one area, they will move to another. Increased risk in running these properties will push landlords to other investment areas. Lower margins in e housing mean that renters will move towards luxury housing, where profits are more likely. Under the threat of eviction bans, landlords have even greater cause to discriminate against e renters.

The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown was the impetus for the ban, but what prevents it from being used in other circumstances?

Crises such as fires, flooding, draughts, and, yes, even diseases happen often. Instead of damaging short-term policies, we should focus on how to incentivize landlords to invest.

Landlords must sacrifice in the present and plan for the future. The risk they undertake is only worthwhile if they have a realistic chance of a return on investment.

Instead of disrupting the market process, local and federal officials should look to other means for improving the housing situation for e Americans. They should work on creating stable rules. Within these rules, landlords will add value to the economy.

This article originally appeared in The Detroit News on Sept. 7, 2021

Comments
Welcome to mreligion comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
Verse of the Day
  Romans 16:17-18 In-Context   15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the Lord's people who are with them.   16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings.   17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are...
Verse of the Day
  Commentary on Today's Verse   Commentary on 1 John 4:7-13   (Read 1 John 4:7-13)   The Spirit of God is the Spirit of love. He that does not love the image of God in his people, has no saving knowledge of God. For it is God's nature to be kind, and to give happiness. The law of God is love; and all...
Verse of the Day
  Commentary on Today's Verse   Commentary on Ecclesiastes 5:9-17   (Read Ecclesiastes 5:9-17)   The goodness of Providence is more equally distributed than appears to a careless observer. The king needs the common things of life, and the poor share them; they relish their morsel better than he does his luxuries. There are bodily desires which silver itself will not satisfy, much less...
Verse of the Day
  Romans 8:28 In-Context   26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.   27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will...
Verse of the Day
  1 John 4:19 In-Context   17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.   18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect...
Verse of the Day
  Commentary on Today's Verse   Commentary on James 5:12-18   (Read James 5:12-18)   The sin of swearing is condemned; but how many make light of common profane swearing! Such swearing expressly throws contempt upon God's name and authority. This sin brings neither gain, nor pleasure, nor reputation, but is showing enmity to God without occasion and without advantage It shows a man...
Verse of the Day
  2 Corinthians 6:14 In-Context   12 We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us.   13 As a fair exchange-I speak as to my children-open wide your hearts also.   14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?   15...
Verse of the Day
  Deuteronomy 7:9 In-Context   7 The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.   8 But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and...
Verse of the Day
  Ephesians 6:14-16 In-Context   12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.   13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to...
Verse of the Day
  Commentary on Today's Verse   Commentary on Luke 6:27-36   (Read Luke 6:27-36)   These are hard lessons to flesh and blood. But if we are thoroughly grounded in the faith of Christ's love, this will make his commands easy to us. Every one that comes to him for washing in his blood, and knows the greatness of the mercy and the love...
Related Classification
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.mreligion.com All Rights Reserved