Landlords take aim

In Southern Nevada, some landlords’ actions during the pandemic have left people scratching their heads.

Management at the Sun Chase apartment complex posted a letter in a common area stating that COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, is terrible. But it will pass, the notice states, and in the meantime, “RENT IS STILL DUE, as it is at every other apartment building in Las Vegas.”

It also provided a list of places that were hiring, including Amazon and Domino’s Pizza.

Sun Chase ownership said on Facebook that no one had been threatened with eviction and that the letter, which circulated on social media, was “promptly removed after two days when it caused so much confusion for people online who didn’t know the whole story.”

Sam O’Connell, a UNLV graduate student, said it was “a little ridiculous” to learn during the pandemic that her rent is slated for a big jump this summer.

Her monthly payment is scheduled to climb from $695 to $900 in July, according to the April notice from her property manager.

The notice outlined some other changes. The refrigerator and stove “are provided as a courtesy of the landlord,” and replacing them is the tenant’s responsibility, it states.

Her landlord, Martin Landman, who bought the building in February, told the Review-Journal it was his understanding from the previous owner that the building’s rents hadn’t been raised in a few years.

Landman said he told the property manager to put the rents at a level that makes sense. He also noted that landlords have mortgage payments and cover water, sewage and other bills at their buildings.

“If the rents don’t even cover the expenses, then what’s the point?” he said.