Monopoly explains very well what is happening in the housing market today
The children of researcher and social work teacher Mieke Schrooten have been captivated by Monopoly in recent weeks. The game explains very well what is happening in the housing market today.
‘Mama, I won!’ My son enthusiastically comes to the kitchen, where I am making sandwiches for school. Last night the two children started a game of Monopoly with their dad.
They had already beaten their father out of the game, but before they left for school, they wanted to finish the game among themselves. Knowing who the winner was before they started their school day. They even got out of bed early without complaining.
“Even if everyone starts with the same amount of money, there are inequalities that continue to grow as the game progresses.”
“I had put a hotel on a very expensive street,” he explains further. ‘And my brother came to that, and then to another street where I had already built houses.’
That cost his brother all his money. Even after mortgaging a few of his own streets, he didn’t have enough to cough up the amount he owed.
Euphoria for some, disappointment and even anger for others. Many parents – or games fanatics – can imagine something about it.
The last few weeks my kids have been crazy about Monopoly. One game is quickly followed by another. They keep real statistics and refine their strategy time and time again.
Is it smart to exchange streets? How do you best negotiate? And when is it wise to invest in houses or hotels? Dad also enjoys sharing his tips and tricks and helping the boys learn the game better and better.
Educational purpose
Their passion reminds me of someone else who spoke passionately about this game, but for different reasons. A few months ago, together with my colleague Harm Deleu, I created an online course on homelessness. Under the expert guidance of documentary maker Maui Druez, we spoke to all kinds of people who are experts on this theme in different ways.
With a better regulated market we would pay much less for our housing.
One of them was Anne-Sophie Dupont, who had been working for the Brussels Association for the Right to Housing (BBRoW) for more than seven years at that time. We invited her to talk about the housing crisis in Brussels, and the link with homelessness. Remarkably, her story also starts with Monopoly.
I’ll let her speak for herself:
‘Monopoly is a game that was invented by a woman in the United States about 120 years ago. It was originally called The Landlord’s Game and aimed to explain the problem of land ownership and land monopoly in an educational manner.’
‘The game had to show what was going on. Even if everyone starts with the same amount of money, there are inequalities that continue to grow as the game progresses. And what happens at the end? There is a monopoly. There is one person who bought everything and makes the others pay.’
Regulation
Monopoly explains very well what is happening in the housing market today, according to Dupont. For most individuals and families, housing is the largest component of their expenses.
That’s because the policy does not regulate the housing market. With a better regulated market we would pay much less for our housing. It would take up much less space in our budget. The Brussels Association for the Right to Housing and its member organizations, but also many other civil society organizations are therefore committed to this.
The housing problem is very extensive. This concerns issues such as access to housing, the realization of more social housing, regulation of rental prices, and combating vacancy.
But also because of the sharp contrast between poverty in Brussels on the one hand and the rental or purchase price of housing on the other. As a result, people live in smaller houses of lower quality or resort to cohousing because it becomes too expensive to live alone. At the same time, they use the larger homes in this way, making them no longer available for large families.
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However, housing is a basic need. And it can be a game changer, as street worker Filip Keymeulen aptly writes in his column You fight homelessness with housing.
The BBRoW therefore advocates regulating the real estate market, just as is already done with health care, education and nutrition.
Dupont: ‘A butcher who sells spoiled meat must then close his doors. But a landlord who rents out unsuitable accommodation can simply continue renting it out. So we have to keep both the quality and the price of housing under control.’
Great conversation piece for the next game of Monopoly.
