Comment by SideQuark

> The second option's cost to landlords is largely defined by accounting/tax rules

The cost is having empty properties, which require insurance, maintenance costs, property taxes, likely mortgages of their own to pay, all of which cost money and which are by far the biggest costs to letting things sit unused.

And the fact in this case is there simply isn’t all these mythical properties sitting unused; simply look at current housing and rental stats.