Sans Ownership (Wk 6 Assignment)

Hello Reader,

For week 6, we have been asked to once again take a look at our personal lives, and determine "What (infra)structural issues prevent you from consuming sustainably? What do you think could be done about this? By whom and how?" As such, I will be exploring a personal frustration that I have been having for several years as I have tried to be a more sustainable consumer.

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The Issue

The primary infrastructural issue that prevents me from consuming sustainably is somewhat complex. My personal issue is living in rental properties. In particular, it is the lack of control of my living space that I experience as a tenant in a rental property.

On the face of the issue, a simple response might be, "Well, then don't." However, for a number of reasons, which I will outline briefly, doing otherwise has simply not be practical or feasible, nor will it ever be given current conditions, for someone in my position. Once it is accepted (or understood) that living in rental properties is necessary, I will propose and discuss a possible solution.

The Constraints

In my position, which I do not believe is particularly unique, and in many other positions it is simply not practical, not feasible, or unrealistic to live in properties that are not rental properties.

The first, and in my mind the most obvious, constraint is financial. As a young adult, both while I was employed full-time and currently as I return to being a student, I have simply not had enough time to build up enough capital to purchase a residential property. Furthermore, even if you will temporarily ignore the recent housing market collapse and mortgage crisis in the US, it is simply not financially prudent for a young adult to take out a mortgage on a property (if they are even qualified for one). This criteria applies not only to young adults in general but to anyone who is (1) unsure where they want to live 3-5 years from now, (2) un- or underemployed, (3) unsure if they want to stay at the same job for an extended period of time, or (4) looking for a relationship. Each of the aforementioned examples as well as many others provide a potential need to move in the not too distant future, which would be thwarted or impeded by holding a mortgage.

The second constraint is more normative than financial in my case. As a young adult there is often the opportunity to live with one's parents or family. In many instances this may come down to a matter of preference. However, in many cases this may be seen as socially unacceptable or otherwise 'not cool' by one's peers. It also may provide obstacles to other areas one's social life such as dating. Thus, at least in my opinion, moving (back) in with my parents would be a last resort, and in any event would likely result in the same or worse lack-of-ownership limitations that occur in the rental property scenario.

The third constraint may relate more directly to students and recent college graduates than to the general population and is perhaps the compounding of the previous two constraints. It is the very trite coming-of-age story that has doubtlessly played out millions if not billions of times throughout human history. Students go to college to learn more about themselves and the world around them and in order to figure out what they want to do with their lives. Some might even say to find meaning in their life (or the meaning of life). Similarly recent college graduates may have occasion to try out several different jobs before settling on a career and/or settling down to raise a family. All of this requires (or is assisted by) the freedom to move around, which is facilitated by the rental property system.

There are a number of other constraints that might lock someone into the rental property system, but the focus of this post is limited to my situation. Please feel free to comment upon additional issues by leaving a comment.

A Solution

The solution I would like to propose would be mutually beneficial for both landlords and tenants, but it relies almost solely on landlords to be enacted. My solution is for landlords to actively upgrade their properties to make them more sustainable. Presumably, such upgrades will allow them to charge more for rent and/or lower their overall operational costs.

For example, with energy consumption it will never be reasonable for a short-term tenant to pay for installing renewable energy on a building. However, if a landlord were to install a solar hot water system on a property, they could certainly charge more for rent with the expectation that utilities will cost less for the tenants. A similar approach would hold true for increased insulation, solar PV installations, composting toilets, low-flow shower heads, and other utility-related projects.

It is also difficult for short-term tenants to create or install things such as compost piles, community gardens, green roofs, and bike racks. Of course, not all of these examples are reasonable for every situation, but the general point still stands that for rental properties to improve, landlords will have to take an active role.

Unfortunately, I have more-or-less resigned myself to waiting to remove these impediments to personal sustainability until I can afford my own house, and I have contented myself with doing what I can with the things that are in my control. However, if things are to shift in the direction of sustainable consumption on a large scale, pressure or incentives will likely need to be put upon or offered to landlords by an outside entity.
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Well, I hope you have enjoyed my semi-ranting post about the plight of the modern tenant, and if you are my parents I hope you are not offended by reasoning for living on my own. In any event, I would love to hear what you have to say about this issue. The insights of landlords or other tenants would be greatly appreciated, particularly in offering other solutions.

Sincerely,

Sean Diamond