Yeah -- I don't know if I agree that there's been much of a flip in the public perception. Landlords are like a universal avatar for greed, it's just that there's always a strong contingent that believes greed is good.
If anything, I think there might be a swell in younger generations that believe maybe they can be a kinder, gentler landlord. Ethical resource hoarding, as it were. In fact one of my oldest friends, who has long been the most leftist person I know in person, just told me that he and his wife are considering buying a new house and keeping their current one as a rental property.
I guess you either die raging against the machine or live long enough to see yourself become a landlord.