Opinion: I wish millennials would stop complaining about housing and rent prices

By BrokerOwner.net March 4, 2024 Housing News

We
millennials
(at
over
40,
I’m
an
elder
millennial
or
Xennial)
are
a
vocal
bunch
for
sure,
having
been
the
designers
and
original
influencers
of
social
media
(Think:
Mark
Zuckerberg
and
Kim
Kardashian!)!

Assuredly,

social
media
is
like
our
personal
journals,
for
better
or
worse.

As
a
result,
unlike
past
generations,
where
often
it
was
only
prominent
commentators
and
news
reporters
whose
voices
would
reach
thousands
or
more,
saying
the
quiet
things
out
loud,
we
are
the
first
generation
to
come
of
age
with
our
own
platforms.

Separately,
but
just
as
important,
we
are
also
currently
the
most
dominant
generation
of

renters.

That’s
a
powerful
overlap.
Consequently,
if
you
are
regularly
on
social
media,
you
can’t
help
but
see
our
journaled
complaints
—
even
those
disguised
as
jokes
—
about
the
rental
and

housing
markets.

Older
generations
have
had
it
tough,
too

Here
is
what
is
missing
from
this
conversation:
Have
older
generations
had
it
tough?
You
know
it!
In
various
parts
of
the
nation,
there
have
been
violent
rent
strikes
(the
first
being
in

1904
in
NYC),
labor
movements,
and
the

Civil
Rights
Movement
—
during
which
lives
were
lost.

Thus,
I
do
not
see
this
as
a
millennial
problem
but
rather
a
generational
problem.
In
every
generation,
we
must
affirm
quality
and

affordable
housing
with
equal
access
and
opportunity,
such
as

fair
housing.
No
living
generation
has
been
able
to
coast
yet.

For
example,
this
generation
is
working
on
legislative
checks
and
balances.
Here’s
an
example
of
advocacy
from
my
state
of
Georgia
with
a
charge
led
by
the
nonprofit
advocacy
group
HouseATL:

HB
404,
the
Safe
at
Home
Act,
is
being
considered
by
the

Senate
Rules
Committee.
The
bill
has
reached
the
Senate
Rules
Committee.

Tenant
protections
are
a
key
priority
within
HouseATL’s
2023
Strategic
Recommendations.
As
detailed
in
HouseATL’s
recent

Saporta
Report
article,
Georgia
has
a
dire
shortage
of
safe,
decent,
affordable
housing
and
very
weak
tenant
protection
laws.
The
impact
falls
most
harshly
on
pregnant
women,
babies,
children,
people
with
disabilities
and
those
living
paycheck
to
paycheck.

HB
404
will:

Require
that
landlords
ensure
that
residential
rental
property
is
“fit
for
human
habitation.”
Fit
for
people
to
live
in
—
without
mold,
rats,
sewage,
ceilings
that
let
in
the
rain
and
broken
utilities.
Cap
security
deposits
at
two
months’
rent,
helping
to
move
families
a
bit
closer
to
affordability.
Require
a
brief
pause
of
three
business
days
after
the
landlord
tells
the
tenant
to
leave
due
to
late
rent
payment
before
they
can
file
for
an
eviction.
This
helps
the
landlord
get
paid
without
having
to
go
to
court,
gives
the
tenant
a
few
more
days
to
pay
and
avoids
the
burden
of
hundreds
of
dollars
in
fees
triggered
once
the
landlord
files
an
eviction,
and
creates
a
record
that
follows
the
tenant
for
decades
and
makes
it
impossible
to
rent
that
next
home.

Essentially,
like
past
generations,
we
millennials
are
just
joining
the
charge
of
every
living
generation
to
advocate
for
the
right
to
clean,
fair
and
affordable
housing.

We
happen
to
do
it
more
with
our
thumbs
and
memes
on
our
social
channels,
allowing
more
of
our
individual
voices,
than
previous
generations,
to
be
amplified.

That’s
a
good
thing.

Ultimately,
we
millennials
need
not
listen
to
the
voices
that
say,
“You’re
not
the
first
to
struggle
with
housing,
so
y’all
be
quiet,”
and
instead
seek
out
the
voices
of
history
that
say,
“You’re
not
the
first
to
struggle
with
housing,
so
y’all
should
organize,
and
here’s
how
we
did
it.”