Before we move forward, have a listen at what radio host, Dave Ramsey, had to say about raising the rent, as we experience our ongoing housing crisis here in Orlando.
Shorter
Dave Ramsey: I love money more than I love the teachings of Jesus Christ. https://t.co/EWhhlgKXET
— W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) January 8, 2022
“If I raise my rent to the market rate. It does not make me less of a Christian. I did not displace the person out of that house if they cannot afford it. The market place did. The economy did. The ratio to their income did. I didn’t cause any of that.”
That is exactly what property management companies say to convince themselves that their unfair rent hikes are okay.
Let me disprove Mr Ramsey’s argument here.
Market rate does not equal product value: If you managed to find someone to overpay for your dilapidated unit, that doesn’t mean the unit is actually worth that much. You’ve just managed to rip someone off that doesn’t understand what they’re renting. When you raise the rent, you’re also throwing the ratio cited off-balance, which is directly cause by you.
Throwing people out of their homes is not a Christian practice: There are examples located in all of the scripture that frowns upon greed, and encourages kindness. I’m disappointed that Mr. Ramsey has forgotten that. There are church shelters and pantries that exist because of Mr. Ramsey’s logic here.
The main problem here is that Mr. Ramsey using his platform to encourage this kind of behavior. He is very wrong here. And his influence in the church will lead to more problems. Especially in Orlando, where families are losing their homes every day because of an exploited housing market.
This is a shocking betrayal by Mr. Ramsey to perpetuate this kind of philosophy on housing that encourages throwing families on the street. If you believe this is wrong, you should let your church leadership know before they continue their affiliation with Dave Ramsey.