Years ago I owned a house for a little while. It started out in the 50s as a small two bedroom and then over the years someone finished the attic as a legally conforming bedroom, then finished the basement and put the teeniest bedroom in it. Smallest house with four legal bedrooms I have ever seen.
I rented out the spare bedrooms. I was a landlord. No excuses.
But if I ever found myself in that situation again; How can I ethically share the costs of a house if it has an owner? I couldn't figure it out then. I don't think the situation will ever come up again. But I desperately want some kind of absolution in knowing if I could have done better, and how to implement that if it happens again.
The problem I couldn't figure out was how to give the renters some kind of equity. I didn't have trusted friends I could set up some kind of coop with. Setting up a coop with strangers was very high-risk; I have a severe mental illness and i'm disabled most of the time, so if things went badly I would be in an extremely vulnerable position with few options.
Give me some input. A rich uncle you didn't know you had leaves you a small house with four bedrooms in their will. You can't afford the mortgage without some help. What do you do? How do you work around mortgages and ownership?
The only exception to landlordism in my opinion is elderly and disabled people renting out rooms in their homes so they can live. Most people would probably be fine with helping out the elderly or disabled as long as the person they're helping is giving them a fair rent and treats them fairly.
You only really become a Landlord when you're renting out property that isn't your primary residence for profit.
Don't worry about dealing with some complex equity system, you can just remain in contact with previous tenants and maybe give them a bit of scratch when you sell the home of that makes you feel better. Otherwise just keep your rental price below market and you're doing them a favor while they do you a favor.