There are various good-faith reasons that properties can be empty for periods of time. Frequently, landlords may perform maintenance or renovations in between t

There are various good-faith reasons that properties can be empty for periods of time. Frequently, landlords may perform maintenance or renovations in between tenants, which can keep the property vacant for months at a time. Also, finding tenants, performing background checks, and filling properties can take considerable time. Doubly true for smaller landlords doing this on the side while they juggle jobs and families. In a few cities, some real estate is held as purely speculative investments or as a place to park cash. If you're an investor buying a $3mm property in Vancouver, BC with a goal of flipping it in 6 months, sticking a tenant in there will only get in the way of your plans for minimal gain. This situation is more rare than it's made to sound by some articles, though. Generally speaking, you're right: Tenants strive to keep their investment properties occupied as much as possible. Unoccupied properties are costly.