[giantg2]

"My feeling is that your comment ignores this asymmetry."

These are enforcement problems, not squatter problems. As you've said, the things the landlords are doing are already illegal. In the US we have Attorney General offices that will handle housing cases on behalf of tenants.

Both parties can benefit from better enforcement and written and recorded leases. Penalties for landlords leasing without recorded agreements may be more easily enforced that under the current system.

[skitout]

This asymmetry makes enforcement easier when it profits the landlord, and make enforcement more difficult when it benefits the tenant... Your reflection seems based on the idea that there is a symmetry on the enforcement

[giantg2]

The enforcement is inconsistent or a drag on both sides already. I've seen both sides in the US. Enforcement benefiting the tenant is quite common.