It’s both.

If you just look at supply and demand graphs.

Where S is supply, D is demand, N is number of people, I is number of investors, and P is price you’d have:

1. S[=N+0]=D[=N+0], P-
2. S[=N+0]<D[=N+I], P▲
3. S[<N+0]<D[=N+0], P▲
4. S[<N+0]<D[=N+I], P▲
5. S[>N+0]>D[=N+0], P▼
6. S[<N+I]<D[=N+I], P▲
7. S[>N+0]>D[=N+0], P▼
8. S[>N+I]>D[=N+I], P▼

It is not an analogy. That’s just math.

I’d like you to show the math as to what the ratio and relation between landlords and renters are.

I’ll wait.

Some more scenarios:

If there are more houses than people, then investors would loose money and housing won’t be a good “investment”.

If there are fewer houses than people, then the same situation would unfold now just there would be homeless people.

I’d like to see this demonstrated as false.

Also this fits perfectly fits within supply demand curves.

If you have people who want to own homes + an investment property, you’d’ve increased demand compared to everyone just wanting one home. D*2 > D. Hence the mere act of desiring investment properties and acting on that desire causes prices to increase. Prices only decreases when supply increases. As S ▲, then prices fall, P ▼. However the set amount of humans stay the same. So the following scenarios are possible: [N+0], Everyone wants one home [N+I], At least one person wants an investment property

1. S[=N+0]=D[=N+0], P-
2. S[=N+0]<D[=N+I], P▲
3. S[<N+0]<D[=N+0], P▲
4. S[<N+0]<D[=N+I], P▲
5. S[>N+0]>D[=N+0], P▼
6. S[<N+I]<D[=N+I], P▲
7. S[>N+0]>D[=N+0], P▼
8. S[>N+I]>D[=N+I], P▼

There are two solutions.

1. Housing Cooperatives: https://chfcanada.coop/about-co-op-housing/
2. Community Land Trusts: https://www.communityland.ca/

Both provide people the ability to have homes without direct ownership nor dealing with the hassle of ownership nor the uncertainty of renting.

It has the benefits of owning. Control over rent prices, ability of modifying living space (including putting up pictures) and benefits of renting (allowing easy relocation, delegate maintenance responsibility).

Housing cooperatives and CLTs have the benefits of both without the drawbacks of either. It also treats housing as a human right as opposed to an “investment”.

There are housing cooperatives for students, the most temporary population and the least wanting to maintain a property.

https://www.nasco.coop/

You can be a part of this movement too by donating or investing in such projects. I urge you to do so.

They work, and work well. There just needs be mass injection of funds into them.

I absolutely agree. I’ll repeat a comment I made separately.

I’ll repost a comment I made before again here:

If you have half the population each have 1 investment property. You must have the other half renters. You literally want to create two classes. Those with investment properties and those with no property. One class above another. You’re just using billionaires as a shield. You want to put yourself in a class above other people.

We should all work so that each person has one home.

And the “I don’t want to work until I die” should be covered by social insurance/social security instead of making someone else a renter.

context: https://lemmy.ca/comment/4927203

I’ll repost a comment I made before again here:

If you have half the population each have 1 investment property. You must have the other half renters. You literally want to create two classes. Those with investment properties and those with no property. One class above another. You’re just using billionaires as a shield. You want to put yourself in a class above other people.

We should all work so that each person has one home.

And the “I don’t want to work until I die” should be covered by social insurance/social security instead of making someone else a renter.

context: https://lemmy.ca/comment/4927203