The personal demeanor or intention of a landlord doesn’t change the nature of the arrangement. The nature of the arrangement is one where the landlord makes money that they’re not working for, and the tenant must give up money that they did work for in exchange.

If a landlord makes a profit from owning a property after all is said and done, the amount of property maintenance is irrelevant. No landlords would exist at all if there wasn’t profit to be made from charging rent, they aren’t gonna do it for charity.