Block says there’s a difference between “slumlords” who make low-cost residences available to renters who choose them, and property owners who violate contracts to provide a certain level of services.

“That constitutes contract violation, and we already have laws on the books dealing with those who engage in such nefarious activities,” he says.

Block argues that slumlords offering “inferior” housing is akin to used car dealerships selling cheap cars to willing buyers.

“If the politicians now leading the charge against “slum housing” had an ounce of logical consistency,” he notes, “they would be inveighing, too, against these ‘exploiters.'”