Non-payment is more than landlords not receiving rents. If they aren’t paid, repairs are the first thing to go. From there, is a long slippery slope to abandoning the property. End result: A Detroit-like skyline of empty house with no property tax revenues to support infrastructure, which leads to decline in other services. Shortly, the city dies.
“Shortly, the city dies.”
As it naturally ought. Then a new city from the ashes. After all, Rome is still around.