I think tax breaks would keep a lot more of them there. The reality if you are declaring all of the rental on a property is that unless you inherited it, or bought with cash, the rent will come nowhere near covering the mortgage once tax and every other deduction is taken into account. If properties even just broke even or made a small profit I think landlords would hang in there and look at them as pensions/investments for kids etc. Paying a loss every year grinds people into submission.Imo landlords are leaving in droves because of the current house prices and having to deal with the RTB which are a shambles. Are tax breaks going to keep them there? Don't think so.
Obviously others will simply see a profit now in the sales price that wasn't there and have gone for it, but the changes in tenant rights coupled with the taxation is making it pointless for too many