How private equity is changing housing

One of the issues the article doesn't mention is that these houses are effectively cheaper to purchase for corporate owners. Generally they can borrow money at a lower rate, but the ability of corporate owners to use depreciation on a new purchase to offset profits from previous purchases is more significant. Effectively they are redirecting money that would be paid in taxes into the payments on the new purchase.

This is not true at all. Corporate loan rates are generally pretty damn high, only exceptionally can they borrow for low rates. Mortages however are a special case since they are basically mandated to be low and safe by most governments in exchange for letting banks exist. Or in the US explicitily guaranteed through freddie mac and fannie may.

You whiffed on the point (note the word "but" in parent comment). The depreciation strategies are where the real benefit is. PE buyers use 60% bonus depreciation and cost segregation studies to create a $70-80K writeoff on a $120K asset, which often larger than the check they cut for the property in the first place

The final phase is to exit via UPREIT for OP units rather than cash, with the REIT getting a step up in basis that can be depreciated again, while still not triggering any capital gains for you until you convert