I'm not a fan of most landlords but they do provide a service. They're legally on the hook for paying property taxes, making sure the home is up to code, mainta

I'm not a fan of most landlords but they do provide a service. They're legally on the hook for paying property taxes, making sure the home is up to code, maintaining the grounds and the structure, paying utilities in many cases, carrying various forms of insurance, etc. Sometimes they acquire distressed assets and remodel to add homes back to the supply. They generally own the property because they've shown they have assets and good credit. The bulk of people that rent have very little assets - so little that the only way they could have decent housing is to rent from the evil landlords. Or move to some non-capitalist country.