someone or something that resembles a biological parasite in living off of, being dependent on, or exploiting another while giving little or nothing in return
the fact that landlords consider tenancy an investment means that by definition they are earning money on the property. by definition, your rent is greater than the property value. the excess goes to their pocket. the landlord exploits the tenant to leech greater than the property value; the tenant gets nothing in return. the landlord is a parasite.
it is in the landlord's interest to try and take as much as they can from their tenant. to raise their rental prices to the highest possible amount, while contributing as little as possible and keeping their own costs as low as possible. the landlord is a parasite.
landlords will argue that they "maintain the property". in reality they use the money that the tenant pays to outsource this to plumbers, electricians, carpenters, and other labourers. the landlord middlemans the tenant's money and uses that as justification for their parasitic existence. they take; they contribute nothing. the landlord does no labour. the landlord is a parasite.
landlord's discriminate against people in need of support in order to keep their costs down. certain types of tenant require more maintenance than others; namely, children and the disabled. since children are more likely to break things and raise maintenance costs, and since disabled people are more likely to need support or installations, landlords create tenancy agreements that either exclude these people entirely, or place threatening restrictions against them. the landlord discriminates against the most vulnerable members of society. the landlord is a parasite.
the landlord commodifies the right to shelter "in security, peace, and dignity", and uses threat and aggression to solidify their stranglehold on property. if the tenant cannot pay, they will be forcibly evicted. if the tenant cannot pay, they will be made homeless. the landlord positions themself in an authoritative position of power over a person and uses authority to extract their wealth instead of contribution to society. the landlord is a parasite.
the contracts that the landlord draws up are heartlessly inconsiderate to the "security" aspect of the right to shelter. if the tenant is taken out of work for medical reasons? evicted. sudden unexpected expense that drains the bank account? evicted. bankruptcy? evicted. the tenant's misortune is a threat to the profit of the landlord. the landlord is a parasite.
rent preys on poverty in a backwards and oppressive fashion. a person who cannot afford £900 mortgage fees to own their own property and grow their own equity, is instead forced into paying £1200 rental fees to own nothing and be kept at the behest of a landlord. instead of helping people out of poverty, landlords exist to keep people in poverty by exploiting the poor for their own gain. the landlord is a parasite.
the extraction of wealth is not restricted to rent. the landlord can seek other ways to leech a profit from the tenant's existence through charges. the most sinister of which is the "late fee". if the tenant finds themself in financial misfortune and unable to pay rent on time, their poverty will only be further exacerbated by the late fee that the landlord charges. the landlord is a parasite.
landlords take more than they need. they squat on landholdings that they never intend to use other than as exploitative tools. they rarely build the houses that they rent; they simply claim ownership of them; and would hold them empty rather than allow someone the shelter they need to survive without payment. the landlord is a parasite.
often the landlord does not even own the property, instead taking out a loan against it, then using the tenant's rent to pay off the mortgage. the tenant pays for the landlord's property while the landlord pockets the excess. the tenant is restricted from increasing their own equity while funding the landlord's acquisition of profit and property. the landlord is extortionist. the landlord is a parasite.
landlordism is an extension of imperialism. it is an extension of acquisition of illigitimate land ownership through military force to create a paper chain of names on deeds that filter wealth upwards. the landlord is a parasite.
in taking from you as much as they can extract; in threatening you with homelessness to keep you subservient to discriminatory tenant agreements; in contributing nothing; the landlord still manages to convince themself into thinking they are benevolent service providers who are contributing to society. the landlord is a leech. the landlord is a vampire. the landlord is a parasite.