How do UBI proponents propose to deal with rent-seekers? What's stopping every slumlord in the country from jacking everyone's rent up $1000 / month in response to a UBI subsidy of the same amount?
It seems like you could deal with this via a Japanese-style de-zoning (which I like) or nationwide rent control (which I don't). But maybe I'm missing something—what do the UBI experts say?
This is the exact question I always ask UBI proponents and no one ever considers it.
UBI wouldn't be a problem in places where housing is not supply constrained, but everywhere else it would be. Until rent-seeking activity is addressed, I don't see how UBI is workable.
UBI might not even need to be discussed if we first addressed rent seeking activity that contributes to needing something like UBI in the first place. Politicians spend way too much effort on how much people earn and way too little time on how much people spend.
The same thing that stops them now. If you back the rent up people move to a competitor who's not doing that. Rent is not solely based on how much you can afford. It's supply and demand.
It seems like you could deal with this via a Japanese-style de-zoning (which I like) or nationwide rent control (which I don't). But maybe I'm missing something—what do the UBI experts say?