In @GreenTacklebox's defense, I've had a couple awful landlords (see the post in my comment history about being charged for carpet cleaning in a house with all wood floors... I could tell some stories about that shithole, too) but when I've rented directly from a human being, who had a personal connection to and investment in the building, it's been great. I lived in an old "bachelor's apartment" building several years ago which was purchased by a well-to-do commercial real estate developer who just wanted a nice penthouse unit in the neighborhood, and she was the best landlord I've ever had. Hired one of the longtime residents as a live-in super, got to know her tenants, and put a lot of effort into fixing the place up while keep rents very reasonable. One month I forgot to drop off my rent check, and two weeks after it was due, she called to ask not where her money was, but if I was okay or if I needed any help. She wasn't exactly a mom-n-pop operation, but I'd classify her as quite decent.

Was she the exception that proves the rule? Possibly. On the other hand, I think that in this field as in many others it's the corrupting presence of megacorporations seeking yottabucks of ROI off the backs of the little people that distort the healthy functioning of the marketplace. If we could get Wall Street out of the residential real estate market things wouldn't be so insane as they are now.