[20andup]

I am on the same boat as these people that can't afford a home with these property prices. But, I don't blame other people for having more than me. The concept of private property is that anyone can do whatever they want with their property.

[nommm-nommm]

That is not the concept of private property. You have never been able to do whatever you want with your property. You can't, for example, build a factory in a residential neighborhood. You can't make your property a fire, health, or safety hazard. You can't partake in activities that significantly disturb your neighbors. You can't build illegal or unpermitted construction. Your construction must follow fire and safety codes. You must follow ordinances about how tall your building can be, how big your lot has to be, and how far back from the street it can be placed. If you live in a historic neighborhood you can't decide on the materials, style, and color your house is. Your house can't be too big or too small. You can't be a slumlord. You can't build a dumpster fire in the backyard. You have to keep your house "up to code." If your property stays blighted for long enough the town will bulldoze it. (This happened to the house next door to my old house). You even may not even be able to water your lawn unless it's a Tuesday. You probably can't even let 8 of your college buddies move into your mansion[1]. If the government decides they want a courthouse or a highway where your house sits it will literally just take it away from you without asking.

About the only thing the government can't force you to do (in the United States) is quarter soldiers during peacetime.

Like the sibling comment said, you live in a society so we all have to play nice with each other.

[1] most cities forbid a large number of unrelated people from living together.

[curried_haskell]

The fundamental flaw with this is, you don't exist in a vacuum. This all has effects on the city and on everyone else who lives in it. At a certain point, no, they can't do "whatever they want" because ultimately it does affect other people.

[20andup]

This "At a certain point" is, however, subjective. Who can say your "point" is right or wrong. Some people have more tolerance than others. Having a mob mentality of dictating what those limits are is dangerous in my opinion.

I would not oppose having a quantitative measure of how empty homes ultimately harm Vancouver's economy in the long term. I think that would be a much more constructive argument to implement measures to curb this trend.

[mistermann]

> Who can say your "point" is right or wrong.

We've kind of decided on using a democratic process, which indeed is a form of mob rule.

As for the danger of this approach....so multi-millionaires have one less global city they can buy property in completely hassle free....I think they'll find a way to survive.

[20andup]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ochlocracy

"Ochlocracy ("rule of the general populace") is democracy ("rule of the people") spoiled by demagoguery, "tyranny of the majority", and the rule of passion over reason, just as oligarchy ("rule of a few") is aristocracy ("rule of the best") spoiled by corruption, and tyranny is monarchy spoiled by lack of virtue. Ochlocracy is synonymous in meaning and usage to the modern, informal term "mobocracy", which arose in the 18th century as a colloquial neologism."

[1_2__3]

That is not even a little bit true.

[murbard2]

Usus, fructus, and abusus have been recognized as pillars of private property since the antiquity. "Abusus" is the right to destroy or dispose of a property. Certainly that would include not using it.

[will_hughes]

But there are reasonable limits on those private property rights that are commonly accepted.

For instance, I don't have the right to set up a nightclub without permission from the city, and (if I'm not being an asshole) neighbours and other nearby residents/businesses that would be affected.

These limits come into existence because there was a problem that residents of the city felt needed action on. Leaving large numbers of properties empty is the extreme opposite end of everyone running nightclubs.