Choosing to use a basic human right as a form of income is scummy. All landlords are scum, whether they are rich or not.
People need a place to stay and not everyone has piles of cash for a down payment. Vote for the change you want, but in this system we need rentals.
There’s more demand for rentals then there are government resources to provide social projects.
There should be options for people to rent. Personally, I don’t want to own a house any time soon. That’s a lot more maintenance and repairs I’m responsible for that I don’t want. BUT, the reason it costs so much for people to purchase houses in the first place are because too many people are purchasing multiple properties as an investment, creating an artificial housing shortage. There now aren’t enough houses available for the amount of people who want to buy them, so the price skyrockets. Down payments are typically a percentage of the overall cost. Overall cost goes down, the pile of cash you need to begin is a lot smaller.
It’s survival.
Can I come to your house, eat all your food, empty your bank account, and have your things?