Local rent strike is selfish and irresponsible

Re: Local Tenants Organizing Rent Strike, Medicine Hat News, March 26.

After reading the article about tenants organizing a rent strike in the News, as a landlord I think I should reply.

I feel empathy towards anyone who is either out of work or laid off from their job. I also realize that in most cases people rent because they are not in a financial position to purchase their own home, and that the downturn in the oil economy has had an effect on workers. And now the COVID-19!

The online poll next to the rent strike article shows 53 per cent of people surveyed replied that the outbreak disrupted their work in any way and only eight per cent said they were laid off. The federal government has brought out an aid package to help in the short term and hopefully this is all that will be needed to get us through this.

Dustin claims this is “too little, too late” before receiving a cheque. I would suggest that if a tenant knows that they will be short on April rent and has applied for assistance, that they contact their landlord and explain their situation. In most cases, some arrangement can be agreed upon and it wouldn’t be the first time a landlord got the rent late.

An income property is run like a small business and the landlord does not want to evict a tenant. There are expenses to owning a rental property even if there is no mortgage owing, such as insurance, taxes, maintenance, snow removal and lawn care.

For Dustin and other tenants to refuse to pay rent, thus becoming squatters, and expecting the government to protect them just shifts the financial burden onto landlords, some of whom depend on this income for their livelihood. This strike is selfish and irresponsible.

I hope tenants in financial stress will work with their landlord rather than take this unfair stance.

Harry Oerlemans

Medicine Hat