Yea, it doesn't work unless you're the one renting that chit hole. I have an old girlfriend who moved into one of these old houses(SF) at market rates in the nineties. The unit was not maintained back then--hot water pressure of a man with an inflamed prostate, no grounding, no functional heat(old electric units that just spin the dial), etc., but it had hard wood floors. She's still there and the place looks the same, except Mr. Chins greedy kids want her out. I don't think the kids will consider selling because they are charging new tenants unbelievable rates--for the same chit holes.

I'm sorry, but I've never met a Landord who cared about the condition of their units, unless it affected the property in a structural way.

I have never met a landlord who didn't try to get as much for their property as legally possible.

I don't have the answer, but human greed is palatable.