You may not believe it, but the situation is very well documented and certainly a thing that is removing housing stock from cities around the world.
Housing has a value as an investment, and leaving the housing unoccupied reduces the cost to maintain the investment. Tenants have a lot of protections in many jurisdictions, and an owner is responsible for maintenance, depreciation and damages, while a tenant cannot be evicted by the landlord who wants to sell a unit without a substantial waiting period, if at all.
Housing has a value as an investment, and leaving the housing unoccupied reduces the cost to maintain the investment. Tenants have a lot of protections in many jurisdictions, and an owner is responsible for maintenance, depreciation and damages, while a tenant cannot be evicted by the landlord who wants to sell a unit without a substantial waiting period, if at all.
https://bostonagentmagazine.com/2018/09/11/study-bostons-new...
https://nypost.com/2021/08/05/nearly-half-of-luxury-units-em...
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/21/upshot/when-the-empty-apa...