From ‘mom-and-pop’ to ‘vulnerable landlords’: Debunking the mythical figures that legitimise rent extraction and challenge rent control policies

Abstract

This paper critically examines the widely spread myths of ‘mom-and-pop’ and ‘vulnerable landlords’ within the Spanish rental market, by exploring their role in legitimising rent extraction and opposing rent control measures. Amid rising rental prices and increasing tenant impoverishment in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, this study addresses how these landlord archetypes distort public and political discourse, thereby influencing rental market regulations. We debunk these myths by conducting a critical analysis of statistical categorisation and available evidence. Our findings reveal that landlords in Spain, rather than being predominantly small-scale, financially vulnerable individuals, represent a small minority who are among the higher income earners and are typically multi-property landlords benefitting substantially from the rental market. We therefore argue that the main goal of the discourses conveyed by the prevalent myths regarding landlords is to obscure the actual socioeconomic structure of the rental market and to preserve it as is. These myths serve to shield the interests of the capitalist class by presenting their objectives as aligned with broader societal needs, which we interpret here according to the Gramscian notion of ‘hegemony’. We conclude that, as rental housing continues to expand as a key means of capital accumulation, these discourses will intensify and will acquire greater political centrality. Revealing these contradictions therefore becomes crucial to delegitimising existing rental structures and advocating for rental regulation.