> Besides, it’s so funny when people use “rent seeking” as a pejorative. Like, yes, the reason my landlord bought this house for a lot of capital up front was that they believed it would be profitable rent it for much smaller amounts for a long time. What, am I supposed to feel entitled to use the house for free?

They mean "rent" the econ jargon, not "rent" the thing you pay to your landlord.

See: rent-seeking

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rent-seeking

It's a bad thing basically by definition.