Protections also needed for landlords

Tenant eviction protections could hurt landlords amid COVID crisis

One of the biggest economic challenges amidst COVID-19 is figuring out how to keep people in their homes.

As unemployment skyrocketed, people have been faced with tough financial decisions on basic needs, like covering the costs of food, medications or rent. If you only had enough money for two of the three, which do you choose?

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey established eviction protections for tenants impacted by COVID-19, which are in place through Oct. 31.

Then, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a policy that overrides Ducey’s plan, and bans evictions starting Sept. 4 through the end of the year for renters impacted by COVID-19, the Arizona Republic reports.

The decision to protect renters makes sense. The country is at a point where unemployment is still significant – just look to Yuma County’s statistics to see the impact here.

The tough part of this is – what about the landlords? They might own the property, but that doesn’t mean the property is paid for. Chances are, they still have their own mortgages, insurance, etc. to cover, and they likely rely on that rental income to do so.

Ducey attempted to address this in Arizona with a $5 million Rental Property Owner Preservation Fund to help landlords cover tenants’ missing rent payments.

However, according to a report in the Arizona Republic, that fund was completely drained in just 30 days, after paying 458 landlords.

The Republic reports Arizona landlords can still receive help from $78 million in state and local renter-aid programs. But given the fact that a $5 million was drained in just 30 days, we have to question how far $78 million will go.

It’s clear that until the unemployment issue is resolved, renters will continue to need assistance.

However, landlords also need to be part of the discussion and assistance process as well. Otherwise, those landlords could be at risk of losing their properties – and that’s a ripple effect we don’t want to see happen.

What do you think should be done, readers? Let us know. Send in a Letter to the Editor at letters@ yumasun.com.

Unsigned editorials represent the viewpoint of this newspaper rather than an individual. Columns and letters to the editor represent the viewpoints of the persons writing them and do not necessarily represent the views of the Yuma Sun.