You're right that real estate can offer a solid source of passive income and potentially benefit from rising rental prices during inflation. However, you're also spot on about the challenges, like maintenance costs and the unpredictability of tenants.
It's crucial to do thorough research and due diligence before diving into the rental property market, and it seems like you've got a good handle on it. Just remember, as you mentioned earlier, it's not always up to the landlord how the tenant behaves, so there can be unexpected twists. You might find this resource helpful in your research: https://palmercleaners.com/how-long-landlord-hold-deposit-after-tenancy-ends/