I don't understand this at all. There are certainly plenty of problems in the housing market, but the existence of landlords isn't one of them. Even if you ignore the substantial amount of work it takes to actually maintain a property, find and deal with tenants, the basic tenets of capitalism still apply: somebody has to allocate capital in a speculative manner to predict future needs.
It is very easy for a landlord to lose their shirt in even conservative investments. Landlords justify their rate of return due to the financial risk and the cost of capital. My parents lost a lot of money buying and renting property. You can lose money due to tenants destroying property, you can lose money due to insufficient occupancy, and you can lose money by the value of the house going down.
It is very easy for a landlord to lose their shirt in even conservative investments. Landlords justify their rate of return due to the financial risk and the cost of capital. My parents lost a lot of money buying and renting property. You can lose money due to tenants destroying property, you can lose money due to insufficient occupancy, and you can lose money by the value of the house going down.