The Onion

The problem here, is a house is not a natural product of the earth. It takes work and investment to keep it from becoming a pile of rubble.

That being said, I've had a lot of shitty landlords in my life, and a few very good ones. I think the overall problem is the "efficiency" of capitalism here. Profit seeking from landlords means doing the least and charging the most. Corporate landlords have a responsibility to their investors to generate as much revenue as possible. (See Blackrock suing United for giving people back to much of their own money for healthcare). Like healthcare, this system clearly needs and overhaul in the US.

We should push for an unfilled housing penalty that is tied to the rate being charged for the unit. This creates a market pressure for landlords to lower prices while keeping quality up so current tenants don't leave. The fines paid for empty units go straight into a housing subsidy fund to assist people with affording those rentals.

I also think we should create laws that reduces or even removes investor's input on how rentals are managed. The first and foremost responsibility of the landlord should be to the paying tenants, and then to the people taking a cut of the profit. Investments are not a guaranteed revenue stream, and the capitalist principles of Risk vs Reward fall apart without the existence of actual risk.