Australia needs to end the mythology of ‘mum and dad’ property investors. Landlords are not a cottage industry

A majority of rental properties are owned by investors with multiple properties. And well-off investors enjoy the lion’s share of the tax benefits of policies such as negative gearing. Photograph: Blake Sharp-Wiggins/The Guardian

Hardly a day passes without talk of “mum and dad” property investors. It’s media shorthand for a rental market dominated by small operators rather than big institutions.

But language shapes the way we think, and folksy terminology creates a false impression of Australia’s landlord class.