The problem in the current market is that in many places there's far more demand than supply, so there's little pressure on the landlord to actually be a good landlord. If people could actually find other apartments at a similar price point in the area, people would just move out when the landlord doesn't uphold their part of the bargain, and competition would drive prices down to a point where the financial difference between buying and renting is a reasonable fee for the conveniences and flexibility of renting. But that's not the world most American cities live in. Instead tenants are stuck because there are no viable alternatives on the market, and some landlords shamelessly exploit that.
DM is okay, if you don't want to post it on the internet.
Indeed, given how many people flat-out couldn’t afford to buy in a world without landlords, landlords prevent homelessness. Just like farmers, distributors and grocers prevent starvation.
Many renter commenters assume that anyone owning a house automatically owes the society to provide housing to those that don't. Of course such people don't actually like taking care of the house or pretend that depreciation and maintenance don't exist.
You should probably fix that also, no? Unless you want all housing to look like abandoned blocks in Detroit.
