ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the landlord versus the low-income tenant and the speculator-developer versus the middle- and upper-income consumer. It provides certain insights into the meaning of class-monopoly rent and class-monopoly power in the context of urbanization. Landlords gain their class power in part from the fact that individually they can survive quite well without releasing all of the resource units under their command. The class interests of landlord and tenant are clearly opposed to each other. If the quality of housing deteriorates and rents rise, tenants may seek accommodation elsewhere, but since they are, for the most part, trapped in this sub-market their power is limited in this respect. The chapter addresses by stating a general proposition: the hierarchical institutional structure through which class monopoly rents are realized is a necessity if housing market activity is to be coordinated in a way that helps to avoid economic crisis.
