I have the means to buy rental property and have often been tempted over the years. The reason I've never done it though goes back to my early childhood when my parents, who were not wealthy by any means, rented out a small house they owned after we moved into a larger house. This was back in the early 1970s, and they somehow ended up renting it to a bunch of hippies, who completely trashed the place and never paid any rent. My parents took them to court and even won a judgement against them, but since they had no money my parents never collected a dime and ended up selling what was left of the house.