With millions of people suddenly out of work and rent due at the first of the month, some tenants are vowing to go on a rent strike until ...
With millions of people suddenly out of work and rent due at the first of the month, some tenants are vowing to go on a rent strike until the coronavirus pandemic subsides.
On Wednesday, $81 billion in commercial and residential rent will come due across the U.S., and nobody is certain how many tenants will be unable, or simply unwilling, to pay.
New York, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and St. Louis are among many cities that have temporarily banned evictions, but advocates for the strike are demanding that rent payments be waived, not delayed, for those in need during the crisis.
Without a legal forgiveness of rental payments during the crisis, tenants face the threat of lawsuits or evictions as soon as housing courts reopen, which may happen as soon as mid-June in California and New York.
In San Francisco, tenants hang a banner declaring that they are on rent strike due to the coronavirus pandemic. Millions have lost work and are struggling to pay rent
'Our building is in a rent strike 90% of us lost income,' writes this Brooklyn resident. 'Like millions we can't pay rent and afford necessities. Our government officials haven't suspended rent as other countries have.'
The residential rent strike idea has taken root across much of North America and as far away as London.
White sheets are being hung in apartment windows to show solidarity with the movement that is gaining steam on Twitter, Instagram and other social media sites.
Meanwhile, major U.S. retail and restaurant chains, including Mattress Firm, Cheesecake Factory and Subway, are telling landlords they will withhold or slash rent payments, claiming 'force majeure,' or unforeseeable events that prevent fulfillment of a contract.
Fliers urging residential tenants to participate in the strike are being posted in several cities, including bus stops in St. Louis, where 27-year-old Kyle Kofron still has his job at an ice cream factory, but his three roommates have suddenly found themselves unemployed.
Their property manager so far hasn't agreed to a payment plan, Kofron said.
'For me personally, with everyone losing their jobs and unable to pay, it's really the only thing we can do,' Kofron said of the strike. 'It's just like we the people have to do something. We just can't stand idly by while the system takes us for a ride.'
Stay-at-home orders and strict limits on gathering sizes have forced shops, restaurants and bars to shut down indefinitely.
Kyle Kofron poses for a photo outside his home in St. Louis. Kofron still has his job at an ice cream factory, but his three roommates are suddenly unemployed due the the coronavirus pandemic. Kofron is advocating for a rent strike during the outbreak
These tenants in Madison, Wisconsin are also joining the call for a nationwide rent strike
Many service industry workers thrust into unemployment are living paycheck-to-paycheck in the best of times. Now, many say they don't have the money to pay rent.
While the stimulus package passed by Congress should put cash in the pockets of tenants in several weeks, the economic carnage of the pandemic is still unfolding.
Jobless claims continue to spike, with economists estimating that 3.3 million Americans filed for unemployment last week.
Some politicians have expressed support, if not directly for a rent strike, then for a temporary rent moratorium, including Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.
In New York and Los Angeles, the two biggest rental markets in the country, tenants fear that a moratorium on evictions won't be sufficient protection if landlords simply wait until the housing courts to reopen.
New York Mayor Bill de Blaiso acknowledged on Monday that many residents are living 'hand-to-mouth' and supported a proposal to allow tenants to use existing security deposits to pay April rent and pay the money back in 30 days.
'You are not alone, hang the white flag to show your neighbors we are not alone and we are getting organized!' say organizers of the rent strike
A Google Trends chart shows skyrocketing searches for 'file for unemployment' in recent weeks. Last week some 3.3 million people filed for unemployment in the US
De Blasio called on regulators to freeze rent increases in rent stabilized apartments, in which landlords need government approval to raise rents each year.
'For those who are not rent stabilized, I think it makes sense to do some kind of rent moratorium. That also would require State action, but I think it's the right thing to do. There's just so many people who do not have the money to pay,' de Blasio told NY1 on Monday.
New York Mayor Bill de Blaiso has now called on the state legislature to pursue a rent moratorium for those who have lost work in the crisis
'Right now, it's crazy to ask people who don't have any income to pay rent,' he added.
More than 92,000 people in New York City have signed a petition to demand rent forgiveness during the crisis.
In Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti has indicated that he views an eviction moratorium as sufficient to address the problem.
'During this crisis, I know many Angelenos are worried about paying rent. If you're able to pay, you should continue to do so,' Garcetti said in a statement. 'But for those of you that aren’t able to pay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, your City has your back. No one should be evicted because of this emergency.'
In New York, the state hit hardest so far by the pandemic, Democratic state Senator Mike Gianaris of Queens introduced a bill that would forgive rent and mortgage payments for 90 days for people and small businesses struggling because of the coronavirus. It has 21 co-sponsors.
'Tenants can´t pay rent if they can't earn a living. Let's #CancelRent for 90 days to keep people in their homes during the #coronavirus crisis,' Gianaris said on Twitter.
Graffiti demanding 'cancel rent' is seen this week in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn
Strike advocates aren't waiting for legislative approval. Activist organizations in many places are leading the push for a strike. A group called Rent Strike 2020 is organizing on the national level.
'Our demands to every Governor, in every state, are extremely simple: freeze rent, mortgage, and utility bill collection for 2 months, or face a rent strike,' Rent Strike 2020's website states.
Advocates in St. Louis are encouraging those who can afford rent to join the movement in solidarity with those who can't. Without a large number of participants, landlords will simply evict strikers, said Chris Winston, of For the People STL.
In Seattle, these tenants joined the call for a nationwide rent strike on April 1
This sign in Seattle called on all renters to stop making payments, even if they can afford to
Others say a rent strike could further worsen the economy if landlords and property managers themselves are forced to default on loans.
Some strike advocates have urged banks to suspend requiring payments from landlords and property management companies so that those groups can better absorb their own financial losses from a rent strike or moratorium.
Matthew Chase, an eviction attorney in St. Louis County, said property management companies and landlords have employees to pay, utility bills and other costs.
A widespread rent strike could force them to lay off their own workers, cut back on property maintenance or even close apartment complexes.
Chase cited one client who relies on income from renting a couple of homes.
'She's the big, bad landlord to these rent strike folks,' Chase said.
In New Orleans, these tenants called for debt to be cancelled in addition to rent
This sign in Atlanta calls for rent to be cancelled as the pandemic crisis continues
Nick Kasoff, who lives in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, calls himself a 'small-time landlord.' He had words of warning for anyone refusing to pay their rent.
'Courts are closed, but they won't be closed forever,' Kasoff wrote on Facebook. 'If you choose not to pay rent when you are able, your landlord will be down there filing an eviction the day they open back up.'
He continued: 'You will lose your home, ruin your credit, and make it difficult to get any sort of decent housing in the future. A "rent strike" isn't going to liquidate capitalism and make you a homeowner, it's going to demolish your credit and make you homeless.'
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