Just a crazy thought here, have these academics (any academics), looked into a correlation between government requirements and rental housing? Understand that rental housing is an expensive investment and a failure to maintain will decrease the value of that investment. WHY would an investor do that and why?
Potential examples of why. If the repair / improvement is more than a simple patch-up, many places require an inspection before granting a 'certificate of occupancy'. No certificate, no rent without meeting ALL DEFICIENCIES found in the inspection. While under repair, the owner may be required to house the renter at an equivalent property.
Many localities place limits on what the owner can restrict in way of renters. What happens if the renter starts dope dealing from that property? The owner may be totally out of luck if the renter is a 'preferred' class. Yes, the police may raid the house but repairs from the raid are the owners and the renter may be immune from eviction.
Do academics own or rent their 'Ivory Towers'? Do they understand real world economics? Are these academics STUPID?
ACADEMIC (ak-uh-DEM-ik): An individual educated beyond his intelligence who is unwilling or unable to create or provide anything of value to others, who while hiding out in a think-tank, college or university pontificates and expects to be paid for it, usually from public funds.