Why Is My Rent So High?

Why Is My Rent So High?

Author: Michael Walker November 24, 2022 Duration: 33:46

On the first episode of Crash Course, Michael Walker speaks to four experts to help explain why his rent is so high. The answer will involve forays into the economics of rent, the history of social housing, the financial reforms of Margaret Thatcher, and the politics of gentrification.



Featuring:

Laurie MacFarlane, Co-Author of Rethinking the Economics of Land and Housing

John Boughton, Author of Municipal Dreams: The Rise and Fall of Council Housing

Danisha Kazi, Senior Economist at Positive Money

Anna Minton, Author of Big Capital: Who is London For?



Presenting & Scripting: Michael Walker

Production & Editing: Lewis Bassett and Patrick Heardman

Sound Design: Patrick Heardman



To support Crash Course - and to access bonus content - become a patron at patreon.com/crashcoursepod



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


Ever feel like the world’s moving too fast to keep up? Crash Course With Michael Walker is here to help you catch up and make sense of it all. Host Michael Walker dives into the complex issues shaping our current moment, pulling from the worlds of news, culture, and government to explain how power, society, and ideas actually work. Each episode feels like a necessary briefing, breaking down dense topics into clear, engaging conversations. You’ll hear sharp analysis on everything from political shifts and policy debates to the cultural undercurrents redefining our daily lives. This isn’t just a surface-level scan; it’s about building a deeper understanding of the forces that define today. The production, handled by Lewis Bassett and Patrick Heardman, ensures a polished and thoughtful listen, with sound design that pulls you into the discussion. It’s the kind of podcast you finish feeling more informed and equipped to engage with the world, not just observe it. For anyone looking to move beyond headlines and grasp the bigger picture, this is an essential resource. Tune in for your regular dose of context and clarity, expertly delivered by Walker and his team.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 52

Crash Course With Michael Walker
Podcast Episodes
Building Council Homes w/ Aydin Dikerdem [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:37
Throughout this series we've been clear that to solve our rental crisis we'll need a lot more council homes. But what's it like to be responsible for building them, and how can councils build more homes in a time of aust…
Two Housing Tribes: Georgists & YIMBYs w/ Shreya Nanda [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:29
Continuing on the theme of solutions to the housing crisis I interviewed economist Shreya Nanda about the Georgists and the YIMBYs.Georgists follow the ideas of the 19th century thinker and reformer Henry George and supp…
Supply, Demand & Michael Gove w/ Duncan Weldon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:59
Duncan Weldon is an economist, author, and all round excellent communicator. He appeared on an earlier episode about London's crazy post-pandemic rents, but I also sat him down for a conversation about the politics and e…
Vienna's Rental Utopia w / Kirsty Lang [Preview] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:22
Vienna is consistently ranked as the city with the highest standard of living in the world and - not coincidentally - 60% of the Viennese live in social housing. To discover the secret of Vienna's housing success I spoke…
How We Let Grenfell Happen w/ Peter Apps [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:15
Bodies: How We Let Grenfell Happen", Peter Apps explains in precise detail the decisions - made both by businesses and government - that allowed it to happen. I felt very privileged to interview Peter on what is a really…
Landlord Debate! [Preview] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:57
Do private landlords play any useful social function?Should they be able to do whatever they want with their properties?And is it morally okay for a landlord without any increased costs to hike their tenants' rent?Greg T…
Are All Landlords Bastards? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:39
The rental crisis means tenants are paying ever higher proportions of their incomes to landlords, and I for one am not too pleased about paying for someone else's mortgage just because I can't afford a home of my own. So…
How Property Investors Screw Us All w/ Anna Minton [Preview] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:56
In her excellent book "Big Capital", Anna Minton explains how the influence of international finance has intensified the housing crisis in London, including by setting the scene for the displacement of thousands of famil…
Why Renting In London Is Hell Right Now [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:40
For decades renters in London have been forced to pay extortionate prices for insecure homes. But in 2022 the situation got dramatically worse. In this episode you'll hear from a flat hunter about the current nightmare t…
The Rise and Fall of Council Housing w/ John Boughton [Preview] [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:57
John Boughton is the author of Municipal Dreams: The Rise and Fall of Council Housing. In this interview we were able to go into much more detail than we managed to fit into the first episode of Crash Course. Themes incl…