We’re all working for landlords: readers share their views on Hong Kong’s housing woes
Yonden Lhatoo lets readers weigh in on our housing policy failures and what needs to be done to provide a basic right in such a prosperous city
“Let’s face it, all of us in Hong Kong are just working for landlords,” a reader said in response to my last column on the sorry state of housing in our city.
Of all the feedback I received, I was struck by how he’d hit the nail on the head with the simplest and most obvious observation. Think about it: every time you pay for an overpriced meal in a restaurant or buy an expensive item in a shop, you’re shelling out extra cash for the benefit of a landlord behind the scenes charging exorbitant rent to a hapless entrepreneur.
If you’re paying a mortgage instead of rent, your bank is the landlord. In one way or the other, we’re all working for landlords.
On that rather disturbing note, I thought I’d do something different this week and use this space to share some of the criticism and suggestions made by readers.
They were unanimous in agreeing that our tycoons and government have more than enough land and money between them to house Hong Kong’s entire population of seven million in comfort and dignity.