Groups urge landlords to fend for out-of-work renters
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court moratorium on evictions is set to end May 11, and unless it is extended, many tenants who have lost their jobs for reasons beyond their control may face eviction because they cannot pay rent.
With that deadline in mind, close to 100 Pittsburgh-area agencies and organizations have signed an open letter to landlords urging them to consider taking advantage of mortgage payment deferrals or mortgage forbearances that many banks are offering in order to help themselves and help their tenants get through the COVID-19 crisis.
“We want to communicate to landlords that there are steps they can take to protect themselves and their tenants’ homes until unemployment benefits kick in and they can get caught up,” said Kevin Quisenberry, a lawyer with the Community Justice Project in Downtown.
A federal moratorium that applies to federally assisted housing and properties financed with federally backed mortgage loans restricts landlords from initiating evictions through July 25.
More than 1.6 million Pennsylvanians have applied for unemployment compensation in the past six weeks as stay-at-home rules have closed many businesses. The claims number includes independent contractors, gig economy workers or other self-employed workers who are eligible for unemployment compensation under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program, which the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry opened to applicants on April 18.
The letter to landlords signed by 98 local organizations ranging from housing advocates to community development corporations and educators is being circulated by Jamil Bey, president of UrbanKind
Institute, a social science consulting company based in Mt. Oliver.
“A crisis bigger than the last one could potentially occur if landlords feel they have to evict tenants and banks feel like they must foreclose on mortgages,” Mr. Bey said.
Landlords often carry mortgages on their rental properties and have other expenses such as taxes, insurance and maintenance. They depend on rent payments to cover those bills.
Nearly a third of U.S. renters didn’t pay April rent, according to data released by the National Multifamily Housing Council and a consortium of real estate data providers.
The Pennsylvania Apartment Association recently released recommendations for its statewide membership of apartment building owners and managers on how to help renters who fall on hard times due to the COVID-19 crisis. Recommendationsincludeextending grace periods for late payments and waiving late fees, creating payment plans for residents, and halting evictions until July 15 unless tenants disturb the peace or violate the law.
Several organizations nationally are staging rallies around the cause, urging rent to be canceled for people who have lost jobs and are in economic peril.
On Friday, housing activists and others staged a carsonly protest and rally on Centre Avenue to demand that the government ensure everyone can access the resources necessary to avoid bankruptcy or homelessness.
Nearly 50 cars blocked the Greenfield Bridge around midafternoon, demanding a rent/mortgage freeze for
Allegheny County, according to a video posted on Facebook.
Internet-based activist group RentStrike.org, which appears to have originated in Washington state and describes itself as a disaster relief organization owned and controlled by working people, is demanding that every governor freeze rent, mortgage and utility bill collection for two months or face a rent strike that would involve organizing other people to stop paying rent.