I agree with all that. But in this instance we're discussing when rental owners can forcefully evict tenants. Theoretically, there are other prospective tenants who can pay the rent but the argument is when can home owners force evictions. If a rental owner is willing to cover the rent because he/she has savings, at what point can he say, 'okay i need to get new tenants in there who can pay the rent'?
I hear ya. Determining if there are other tenants that can cover the cost depends on the area/job market. Again that takes some due diligence in researching the job market in a particular area.
I had a chance to buy a multi unit property in portsmouth virgina last summer for about $150K. Not only did it have 6 units but it also had a storefront that I could have made money from as well. But after doing some due diligence on the jobs within that area I learned that there weren't many high paying jobs in the area and there was a reason the current owner was trying to dump it. Plus the unemployment rate was high for various reasons. In that case, I would most likely have a hard time finding new tenants any better than the current ones occupying the space. And even though I wouldn't have a mortgage on the place I noticed that the operational costs were high since water and electricity were part of the leasing contract and that shyt was high for all of those units so I walked away from that deal.
Where I am at in the baltimore/dc area(s) the job market is pretty strong since government and federal contractors have been working from home. Purchasing a townhome in columbia maryland for $350K in cash and charging white collar workers $2300-$2500 a month is more attractive option.
so yeah, that's just my long winded analysis on the tenant situation and why it's not always as easy to just find a new tenant. Basically, keep your margins low because the market is the determining factor for how much you can charge for rent. Do I think property owners deserve to earn income for their rentals? sure. But supply and demand will determine what they can truly charge and there may come a point where demand will put them at a lower price point than their mortgage costs. At that point they can either weather the storm or liquidate. That's just business