How do ownership costs get driven up by profit-making? That doesn't make much sense to me. Prices are driven by demand, which in turn increase the value of a property if supply doesn't rise to match. This sounds more like a problem of NIMBYism and such than a problem of "landlords exist".
> historically (and still today in some countries) it was cheaper to buy a home than it was to rent
This isn't broadly true. Historically, renting has existed for thousands of years. That wouldn't make any sense if owning was (until recently) always a more desirable prospect than renting.
> historically (and still today in some countries) it was cheaper to buy a home than it was to rent
This isn't broadly true. Historically, renting has existed for thousands of years. That wouldn't make any sense if owning was (until recently) always a more desirable prospect than renting.