> I was APPALLED that they wanted me to fill out an APPLICATION form, where they would decide my worth, and let me know if we would be allowed to live there. When buying a house, my cash was as good as anyone elses'.

House sellers receive offers from buyers, sometimes including letters, and can choose to sell to any of them (or none of them), whether or not those offers are higher than the listed price. It's not so different.

> And then the management company would come inside my house to inspect that I wasn't running a meth lab or something.

Yeah that part is different. I also prefer owning.