Memes

First, I've had a lot of evil landlords, so I understand the animosity. However, as a landlord who owns two houses that I rent to my friends, let me risk getting downvoted to hell to explain the value that I add, and the reason why both friends prefer this arrangement despite my offering to sell them the properties they live in.

You say the effort is the same, but it's not true. Here are some of the things I do that take either the physical or mental load of home ownership off my tenants:

• escrow and pay property taxes on time
• shop around for the best insurance and make sure the property is covered with not only homeowner's insurance but also flood insurance
• perform various regular maintenance tasks like pesticide application, HVAC checkups twice a year, inspection and repair of any damage reported to me
• perform emergency repairs or call in workers when things break, being available during the day when the contractors come - or replace broken appliances, etc.
• shop around and pay for utilities
• landscaping and lawn maintenance

My best friend is one of my tenants. She has severe ADHD and lost a home once before due to her inability to save money for the inevitable repairs and unexpected expenses, plus not staying on top of needed maintenance and repairs. This arrangement where I take care of all the details and she just pays monthly rent is a win-win. My other tenant is my handyman who literally begged me to rent a townhome that I was planning to sell. He didn't want to buy it because his credit isn't that great and he wasn't planning on being there more than about five years. I charge both of them a really fair rate that just covers my expenses.

So yes, at the end of the day, they own nothing. But they are not getting nothing for their money. They're getting comfortable, well maintained shelter and peace of mind.