Exactly. That's why if your mortgage == rent then you're behind. Because rent already includes those things.

Well, yes and no. If you own and the roof needs replacing, you need to have that money on hand (or be able to take out another loan to cover it, which isn't always possible). If you rent, you don't.

Well, if you rent, you rely on the landlord to be able to do that, and if they can't, you're still screwed

I don't see how that's important to the discussion at all. Sure, if you live somewhere, a problem with the roof is "your problem". But if you own, it's also "your responsibility" vs renting where it's "their responsibility". And the person whose responsibility it is is the one that is saddled with the need to acquire that lump sum of money to deal with it.

How much does being able to call an expense an expense figure into things? Like, why wouldn't I set up a company owns my house and rents it back to me?