The Landlord Lens
Welcome to The Landlord Lens, your guide to navigating the rental market in real time. Whether you're a first-time landlord or managing multiple properties, this series unpacks how today’s headlines, legislation, and economic shifts are impacting landlords like you. From rising interest rates to rent control debates, we break down what’s happening right now and what it means for your rentals. You’ll get straight talk on eviction laws, housing supply, corporate ownership trends, and tenant movements shaping the landscape. We’ll help you make sense of complex policy changes, avoid legal landmines, and respond strategically to the forces r...
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Section 8 Tenants: The Pros, Cons & What You Should Know
<p>Is accepting Section 8 tenants a smart move or a costly mistake?</p><p>In this video, we break down the real pros and cons of Section 8 housing for landlords, including guaranteed rent payments, inspections, demand, regulations, and potential risks. If you're deciding whether to accept housing vouchers, this will help you evaluate if it fits your rental strategy.</p><p>We cover:<br>• Guaranteed rent payments<br>• Inspection requirements<br>• Tenant demand<br>• Payment timelines<br>• Common landlord concerns</p>
Is Affordable Housing Really Gone for Good?
<p>For years, buyers and landlords have heard the same advice: just wait.<br>When mortgage rates fall, housing will become affordable again.</p><p>But new data suggests that returning to pre-pandemic affordability would require mortgage rates, wages, or home prices to move in ways that are historically unlikely.</p><p>In this episode of Landlord Lens, we unpack why the housing market may not be facing a temporary disruption, but a structural shift that’s been building for decades.</p>
Rent Control Doesn’t Work! So Why Do We Keep Doing It?
<p>Rent control is often sold as a solution to rising housing costs but the reality is more complicated.</p><p>In this video, we break down why rent control doesn’t work the way people expect, how it impacts renters and landlords, and why cities keep turning to it despite decades of evidence. From reduced housing supply to unintended consequences that actually raise rents, we take a clear, practical look at what’s really happening.</p><p>Whether you’re a renter, a landlord, or just trying to understand the housing crisis, this is a conversation worth having.</p>
10 Weird Real Estate Laws That Still Exist
<p>Some real estate laws make sense.<br>Others… absolutely do not.</p><p>In this video, we break down 10 of the weirdest real estate laws that still exist, from strange rules around home maintenance to laws that sound fake but are very real. Whether you’re a landlord, homeowner, or renter, these are the kinds of laws that make you stop and say: wait… that’s actually a law?</p>
Renters Can Now Force Repairs (New Law)
<p>A new right-to-repair law just passed in Duluth, Minnesota and renters could now legally take action on repairs if landlords don’t act.</p><p>In this video, we break down the actual law passed in Duluth, how it works, what it allows tenants to do, and what it means for landlords and property managers. We explain:</p><p>• What the Duluth right-to-repair law actually permits<br>• When a renter can demand repairs<br>• How “repair-and-deduct” works under the new ordinance<br>• Steps landlords should take to stay compliant and avoid deductions or disputes</p><p>This is something every landlord...
Trump to Ban Institutional Investors From Buying Homes
<p>President Trump is proposing a ban on institutional investors buying single-family homes—but what does that actually mean for landlords, renters, and the housing market?</p><p>In this episode of Landlord Lens, we break down:</p><p>- What Trump is actually proposing (and what he isn’t)</p><p>- How a ban on institutional investors could impact housing supply</p><p>- Whether this helps or hurts small, DIY landlords</p><p>- The potential ripple effects on rent prices and competition</p><p>This isn’t politics for politics’ sake—it’s about understanding how policy chang...
Trump Blocks AI Regulations as States Target Rent Pricing
<p>States across the U.S. are moving to regulate AI in housing—and it’s creating serious uncertainty for landlords.</p><p>In this episode of Landlord Lens, we break down Trump’s AI moratorium, the DOJ’s new AI litigation task force, and what it all means for rent pricing, compliance, and risk—especially as states target algorithmic pricing tools like RealPage.</p><p>Lawmakers say AI regulations are needed to prevent rent-price coordination, discrimination, and reduced competition. Industry groups argue that patchwork state laws slow innovation and raise costs. Meanwhile, landlords are caught in the middle—unsure whether usin...
Denver Might Raise Landlord Fines to $5,000 — What You Need to Know
<p>Denver is considering raising the maximum fine for unlicensed rentals from $1,000 to $5,000. In this episode, we break down why the city wants the increase, how many landlords are still unlicensed, and what the data shows about enforcement since the rental license requirement began in 2023.</p><p>We cover how the current system works, why thousands of properties remain unlicensed, what the proposed change would do, and what landlords should expect if the higher fine is approved in 2025. If you’re a Denver landlord or watching this issue in your own city, this gives you the full context without the no...
Why Healthcare Costs Just Became a Landlord Problem
<p>Millions of renters are about to get squeezed not by rent prices, but by healthcare costs. The federal government reopened without extending enhanced ACA subsidies, and that decision directly affects renters’ financial stability. Since renters are already three times more likely to be uninsured than homeowners, even small changes to ACA subsidies can have big consequences for rent payments, delinquencies, and turnover.</p><p>In this episode of Landlord Lens, we break down:</p><p>• Why renters are far more exposed to health insurance loss<br>• Which rental types are at highest risk when subsidies shrink<br>• What happens if enhan...
Trump's 50-Year Mortgage Plan Is Absolutely Insane
<p>The housing market just got hit with one of the most bizarre proposals we’ve seen in years: a 50-year mortgage plan pushed as a “solution” to affordability. But does stretching debt across half a century actually help buyers… or does it quietly push home prices even higher while trapping people in decades of interest?</p><p>In this video, we break down:<br>• How a 50-year mortgage actually works<br>• Why it could explode demand and drive prices up even more<br>• The hidden cost nobody is talking about (especially the total interest)<br>• Whether this helps first-time buyers or just b...
