The coronavirus lockdowns have halted the economy and prompted mass lay-offs in almost every industry. Businesses are struggling and people being forced to stay home and rely on their savings – if they have any.
Thousands of people across North America are only weeks away from no longer being able to afford to keep a roof over their heads. Understanding this struggle, some landlords privileged enough to afford are providing tenants with rent relief. This Michigan landlord surprised his tenants with even more.
Landlord Surprises Tenant with More than Just Rent Relief
A mom of four living in Saginaw, Michigan posted a heartwarming photo to her Facebook about how her landlord is helping her and her family during this time. (3)
The landlord, known only by his first name of Alan, called Christina Marie to tell her she didn’t need to worry about rent this month. He then asked her if she had enough food, and she told him they would have to go grocery shopping this week because they were running low. A little while later, she received a text from Alan asking her to go to her front door. Christina opened her door to a whole pile of groceries purchased for her by her landlord and his wife. They had even purchased diapers. (3)
Read: Teen Creates Website For He And His Friends To Deliver Groceries To Seniors
Other Landlords Doing What They Can
There have been several other stories of landlords voluntarily forgoing their own paychecks to help their tenants out in these unprecedented circumstances.
Nathan Nichols is a computer programmer who owns two units in Portland, Maine. When the coronavirus shutdowns began being imposed, he knew it was going to cause problems for his tenants, all of whom are hourly-paid workers in the service industry. Knowing that he was financially capable of helping, he surprised his tenants by relieving their rent for the month of April. (1, 2)
“My sister is in the service industry and she was getting stressed out about the income she was going to lose, I knew my renters were feeling the same way. I wanted to ease a little bit of that. I know how damaging it can be for a kid to live through this kind of stress.” He said in an interview with Today.com. (2)
Nichols put out a post on his Facebook page encouraging other landlords to do the same if they were able. The post quickly went viral, with over 24,000 shares. He received hundreds of comments of praise, however, he also had some landlords commenting that they wish they could help but can’t, or from tenants saying they wish their landlords would offer some relief but are doubtful that it will happen. He was quick to respond, reminding people that we don’t always know someone’s situation, and if a landlord isn’t putting rent payments on hold it isn’t because they are a bad person. Not everyone is in the financial position to do that. (1, 2)
An Inspiration to Others
While not every landlord can afford to not have their tenants pay rent or buy people groceries, this is a reminder for any of us who are blessed enough to still have a job and be financially stable to help others out, even if just a little bit. There are plenty of ways you can help out if you are fortunate enough to do so:
- Donate to food banks or homeless shelters
- Make purchases from local small businesses, cafes, and restaurants
- Buy someone in need’s groceries
- Donate to your country or region’s relief fund
If you are unable to donate financially to anyone, consider helping by offering to go out and get someone’s groceries who cannot leave their home, put on a virtual concert, share your Netflix password with someone… even just smiling at someone out walking alone can make a big difference in someone’s day.
Remember, we are all in this together. The more we can do to help one another get through this challenging time, the stronger we will be as a society when we come out on the other side.
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