From Peter’s desk

The What About Me Crowd

November 2, 2026 · By Peter Ciaccia

Owning property used to be the American dream. Real estate was security. It was retirement. It was the safety net you built one payment at a time, so one day your family would be okay no matter what happened to you.

Now the landlord is the enemy.

We have tenants who believe their money is the hardest money in the world to earn — and yours just fell out of the sky. “Things are not the same. You had it easy.” Easy. As if the down payment was a gift. As if the mortgage pays itself. As if the roof, the insurance, the taxes, and the AC unit that dies in August all run on good intentions.

Ask for the rent — the rent they agreed to — and suddenly you’re not a landlord, you’re a collection agency. Their problems become your problems. Car broke down? Your problem. Hours got cut? Your problem. And their answer, every time, delivered like it settles the account: “We take care of your house.” Like you hired a property manager. Like mowing the lawn they live on is a payment plan.

Then comes my favorite part. They become your financial advisor. They’ll tell you how to budget — while you keep a roof over their heads. They explain your own money to you, from your own couch, in your own house.

I’ve heard it all. They’re not here to pay your mortgage. They’re having a hard time. They’re sick. They’re tired. They’re too busy. You name it, it’s a reason — and the reason always travels in one direction.

Here’s what never gets said: the bank doesn’t take “I’m tired” as a payment. The insurance company doesn’t discount for a hard time. The tax bill doesn’t care who’s busy. Every excuse they hand you stops at your door, because you’re the one standing between them and every bill they think only they struggle with.

Nobody asks what the landlord is carrying. They just assume the landlord can carry it.

People change their story. Patterns don’t.