There IS a housing crisis for renters. There's been a housing crisis for renters ever since the 2020 lockdowns. I got caught in the middle of it when I sold my house.
Partly, the crisis was caused by the government's restricting landlords from evicting tenants who stopped paying rent. But, another reason was that even responsible tenants were not moving. So, not many apartments were available.
I easily met all the requirements you listed, except #6, unless you figured my savings in that equation. But, my savings meant nothing to the landlords, and the fact that I had zero debt meant nothing to them, either. Every single place required an income at least 3 times the rent. Most places charged at least $2,000/month for a 2BR apartment. So, they required an income at least $72,000/year. Mine was nowhere near that amount.
I was fortunate to find one nice place that considered my savings in the equation, and they were lucky to get my family in return. I had to wait for one of their apartments to become available. The apartment is older, so the rent started out lower. I have always paid the rent on time, but it increases every year, even as the apartment gets older and older. Meanwhile, all the other places have continued to raise their rents, too. Now, the rent for a 2BR apartment in my area is between $2,300 and $2,500 per month. The rents are ridiculously high.
Rents in my area are about 1200-1450 for a 3 bdrm. Most renters have the option of moving where the cost of living is less expensive. Many even work remotely. We have above 12% vacancy. No need for new homes. Fix up the ones that are existing which is doable for most. We don’t have a lot of money but frugally can fix up these places without cobbing the job.
I belong to many landlord associations and forums and the fact is that because a majority of renters “let themselves go” during Covid by not paying bills, never thinking about future consequences, they are now “unrentable” as we like to say.
These are mostly the under 40 set. The vast majority of landlords are running into this phenomenon. What was once common knowledge to keep your credit score above 600, don’t tear up the place, get along with neighbors, follow the rules, pay your bills on time, escapes most modern renters.
In our area you can BUY an older, solidly built house for 60K but yes, it will be a fixer upper. The 35 and under set don’t want that. They want to walk into a newly built (with cheap junk materials) turnkey place.