I left New York City on Wednesday, March 18, to go home to Tennessee, with the expectation that our spring break would be five days. Within a span of two weeks, both of my jobs had closed, The New School had completely moved to online classes, and it was advised not to travel back to New York City because it had the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country. My official guardian, who is my aunt, had been terminated from her manager position at Benihana, so she is unable to help out with my bills when she has to make her last paycheck stretch to support our family. 

I’m now an unemployed, full-time student trying to figure out how to pay rent that my landlord still demands his tenants pay on-time.

The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced financial burden for millions of Americans, with 4.4% of the U.S. population, or 16 million people, left unemployed since March. Despite this global emergency, landlords and real estate owners are still demanding a full month’s rent, including my building.

Landlords, especially in New York City who charge tenants (aka me) $950 to share a room, need to wake up to reality. This crisis is leaving people without jobs and a stable income, and some people are forced to work long hours in dangerous working conditions. Landlords everywhere should be empathetic and work with their tenants instead of against them. Let your tenants use a payment plan, or delay payments, or better yet, cancel a month’s rent.

I shouldn’t have to pay a full month’s rent when I’m not working ‘full month’s rent hours.’ Hell,  I’m not even working at all. No one is!

Prior to the lockdown, my landlord has done questionable actions such as placing a box over our AC, coming into our apartment without notification, and letting someone move in without notifying us at all.

This situation proved to be no different.

I notified my landlord about my concerns for rent as soon as the New York City lockdown happened, since my income is now little to nothing (I am thankfully being compensated from my retail job still, but there is no telling for how long), and my roommate said that her mother is now unemployed, so she is struggling to pay for her rent as well.

My landlord, through email and phone, has been very dismissive of this pandemic and stated that unless the state or city passes a rent freeze of some kind, we will still have to pay full rent. 

He sent me an update on March 23 stating:

“I am very sorry to hear that however this is all beyond my control unfortunately. 

Again, as of right now, all rents need to be paid unless the city or state says otherwise. 

FYI – I am without work too as I can’t perform real estate services as well so I understand where you are coming from but, again, I still need to pay my rent too.”

Throughout the week, I offered to pay half of my rent and negotiate anything, but my landlord still insists that I pay the full amount, and he is even speaking to an attorney on how to go about this situation. Since the Senate bill passed on March 25, my landlord even expects me to use the one-time $1200 fund to pay my upcoming rent for April and May. 

“People’s true colors show during a time of crisis and your landlord is greedy even in this time,” my aunt said. “This virus doesn’t just affect him- it’s his best friend, his neighbors, and family too. People are not dollar signs, we are humans. How do you expect tenants to pay you if they’re dead?”

There are roughly 15 tenants in my building and we all pay roughly $1000-$1900 per room. My landlord is going to be least affected by this because there are tenants who are still employed, but he’s still going through hoops trying to take the money I don’t have. Luckily for NYC tenants, Governor Andrew Cuomo recently extended the eviction ban and has started allowing tenants to use their security deposits to pay rent. Late fees also cannot be incurred until August 20. 

Unlike my landlord, my aunt is fortunate that her building is understanding. When my aunt received her termination letter in the mail, she notified her complex and they said, “We understand this is a hard time for everyone. As long as you can provide the documents and keep open communication with us when you file for unemployment, that’s all that matters.”

On March 29, my landlord suggested that I find work amidst the pandemic, stating “I’ve been hearing a bunch of companies are hiring during this time; some being Amazon, Pizza Hut, Dominos, etc. So there are opportunities for work from my understanding.” 

We were baffled and offended that he could possibly suggest something like that when essential workers are dying every day, many of them only receiving about a $2/hr raise and NOT equipped with basic protection. After my aunt and I spoke on the phone with him after that message, he finally developed a payment plan around our financial situation, but not many landlords are willing to make adjustments or better yet, cancel rent payments like Brooklyn landlord Mario Salerno.

As Stay-at-Home orders extend even further than the initial plan, people are beginning to worry about how they’re going to pay their bills. Unemployment benefits only last for a maximum of 26 weeks, people aren’t guaranteed food stamps or other government assistance, and the one-time stimulus check only covers so little for eligible applicants. People are also being furloughed every day and even top executives are receiving pay cuts. 

I’m frustrated that I can’t pay my rent on time but I’d rather it be me than seeing other people, especially those around me, struggle to afford basic necessities. I wish that these terrible landlords would have a sliver of empathy and cancel a month’s rent, or at least install payment plans depending on a tenant’s financial situation until people are able to work safely again. 

“This pandemic is bigger than any landlord right now,” my aunt reassured me. “The world is literally falling apart in front of our eyes and this is not a time to worry about paying bills. People are falling ill and dying like flies, have some f***ing human decency.”