being a landlord is not "mere ownership of a resource".. The resource is the land, the utility you provide is the livability of that land. You are providing the maintenance of the building, keeping it up to code, repairing damage due to natural disasters or renter abuse, hell at one point you had to even build the building, not mention maintaining the physical land (removing trees and overgrowth, repairing fences etc).
Landlords very much are providing a utility from a resource.