Private landlords dominate Australia’s rental housing market, where the share of public and community housing is much smaller than in many other countries. It’s commonly thought most landlords have invested in property on a small scale – so-called “mum and dad” investors. And, as Peter Mares observes today, every time these landlords come under pressure to do the right thing by their tenants or justify the generous tax perks they receive, the folksy terminology is wheeled out in their defence.

The problem is that as well as reinforcing social stereotypes, this also presents a false picture of Australia’s landlord class. Although many landlords do indeed own only one rental property, most rental properties are owned by investors with multiple properties. Tax office data also show most of the deductions on rental properties go to people who are clearly better off than your average wage earner.

And regardless of landlords’ income status, Mares reminds us they have ethical and legal obligations to treat tenants fairly and provide them with decent housing conditions, however many properties they own. They should not be let off the hook even if they do fit the ‘mum and dad’ investor profile.

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