Quite often the landlord will just be paying off an equivalent mortgage, and price the rent as the mortgage payments + maintenance + profit. In areas where livi

Quite often the landlord will just be paying off an equivalent mortgage, and price the rent as the mortgage payments + maintenance + profit. In areas where living space is in demand and people are building or buying units that were not rentals to rent them out, the rent will be strictly higher than the mortgage including the equity-building principal part.