Zillow Hates Landlords

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Zillow Hates Landlords

Joe SplitrockPro Member
Moderator
Rental Property Investor · Sioux Falls, SD · Member since 2015 · 9k+ posts · 18k+ votes

Do I really think Zillow hates landlords? Well actions speak louder than words. I was surprised to get an e-mail encouraging tenants to not pay rent until August 24th. Landlords and realtors are the main revenue source for Zillow. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you! 

I received an e-mail from Zillow informing me that due to the CARES act, tenants cannot be evicted for 120 days. No place do they clarify anything about it being due to lack of payment related to COVID-10. They don't state tenants should still pay rent. They don't state it is for hardship due to COVID-19. They only say "the law does not exempt renters from having to pay their rent once the protections expire." They go on to say you have until August 24 to pay and cannot get any late fees or penalties.

Instead of linking to the actual wording from the CARES Act, they link to a National Housing Law Project memo which has a very skewed and liberal interpretation of this. They state that any tenant should assume their landlords property qualifies. They also state that ANY eviction should be contested, even if not payment related. They state that includes "no cause lease terminations".

I have no problem with the transmission of accurate information to help people, but both the Zillow and law firm interpretation are greatly inaccurate. Why not link to the actual text in the CARES Act? Why present inaccurate information that is only going to encourage people to not pay rent? I have defended and supported Zillow in the past, but this is a slap in the face. 

Here is a copy of the full e-mail from Zillow:

Eviction protection during COVID-19
The first thing you can do is contact your landlord or property manager to discuss your situation. You may be temporarily protected from eviction under the federal CARES Act, which stands for Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security.

According to the National Housing Law Project, the CARES Act prevents a tenant from being evicted for 120 days if you or the property meet one of the following conditions:
  • You live in a property that is financed with a federally backed mortgage loan.
  • You received rental housing assistance through one of the many federal voucher programs including Housing Choice. These resources are outlined here by the National Housing Law Project.
  • You receive rental housing assistance through a rural housing voucher program.
If you or your rental meet any of these conditions, your landlord can’t initiate a new eviction notice until July 25, 2020, and you must be given an additional 30 days — or until August 24 — to leave the property. During that time, you cannot be charged late fees, penalties or other charges for late rent payments.

While the moratorium provides protection from eviction, the law does not exempt renters from having to pay their rent once the protections expire.
More Resources:
  • The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides assistance at a federal level but also works with state and local agencies. Learn what programs and services are available in your area.
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Theresa HarrisPro Member
Member since 2019 · 15k+ posts · 11k+ votes
6y

@Joe Splitrock  Have you tried contacting Zillow to let them know they are giving bad information, not to mention they are biting the hand that feeds them?

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  • Theresa HarrisPro Member
    Member since 2019 · 15k+ posts · 11k+ votes
    6y

    @Joe Splitrock  Have you tried contacting Zillow to let them know they are giving bad information, not to mention they are biting the hand that feeds them?

    3Reply
  • James Wise
    Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 31k+ posts · 20k+ votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Joe Splitrock:

    Do I really think Zillow hates landlords? Well actions speak louder than words. I was surprised to get an e-mail encouraging tenants to not pay rent until August 24th. Landlords and realtors are the main revenue source for Zillow. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you! 

    I received an e-mail from Zillow informing me that due to the CARES act, tenants cannot be evicted for 120 days. No place do they clarify anything about it being due to lack of payment related to COVID-10. They don't state tenants should still pay rent. They don't state it is for hardship due to COVID-19. They only say "the law does not exempt renters from having to pay their rent once the protections expire." They go on to say you have until August 24 to pay and cannot get any late fees or penalties.

    Instead of linking to the actual wording from the CARES Act, they link to a National Housing Law Project memo which has a very skewed and liberal interpretation of this. They state that any tenant should assume their landlords property qualifies. They also state that ANY eviction should be contested, even if not payment related. They state that includes "no cause lease terminations".

    I have no problem with the transmission of accurate information to help people, but both the Zillow and law firm interpretation are greatly inaccurate. Why not link to the actual text in the CARES Act? Why present inaccurate information that is only going to encourage people to not pay rent? I have defended and supported Zillow in the past, but this is a slap in the face. 

    Here is a copy of the full e-mail from Zillow:

    Eviction protection during COVID-19
    The first thing you can do is contact your landlord or property manager to discuss your situation. You may be temporarily protected from eviction under the federal CARES Act, which stands for Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security.

    According to the National Housing Law Project, the CARES Act prevents a tenant from being evicted for 120 days if you or the property meet one of the following conditions:
    • You live in a property that is financed with a federally backed mortgage loan.
    • You received rental housing assistance through one of the many federal voucher programs including Housing Choice. These resources are outlined here by the National Housing Law Project.
    • You receive rental housing assistance through a rural housing voucher program.
    If you or your rental meet any of these conditions, your landlord can’t initiate a new eviction notice until July 25, 2020, and you must be given an additional 30 days — or until August 24 — to leave the property. During that time, you cannot be charged late fees, penalties or other charges for late rent payments.

    While the moratorium provides protection from eviction, the law does not exempt renters from having to pay their rent once the protections expire.
    More Resources:
    • The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides assistance at a federal level but also works with state and local agencies. Learn what programs and services are available in your area.

     Agents have been talking about boycotting Zillow for years but they continue spending their money on Zillow advertising. Looks like Zillow thinks that as long as they've got the traffic they are untouchable. Thus far, agents are proving them right.

    3Reply
  • Joe SplitrockPro Member
    Moderator
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Sioux Falls, SD · Member since 2015 · 9k+ posts · 18k+ votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @James Wise:
    Originally posted by @Joe Splitrock:

    Do I really think Zillow hates landlords? Well actions speak louder than words. I was surprised to get an e-mail encouraging tenants to not pay rent until August 24th. Landlords and realtors are the main revenue source for Zillow. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you! 

    I received an e-mail from Zillow informing me that due to the CARES act, tenants cannot be evicted for 120 days. No place do they clarify anything about it being due to lack of payment related to COVID-10. They don't state tenants should still pay rent. They don't state it is for hardship due to COVID-19. They only say "the law does not exempt renters from having to pay their rent once the protections expire." They go on to say you have until August 24 to pay and cannot get any late fees or penalties.

    Instead of linking to the actual wording from the CARES Act, they link to a National Housing Law Project memo which has a very skewed and liberal interpretation of this. They state that any tenant should assume their landlords property qualifies. They also state that ANY eviction should be contested, even if not payment related. They state that includes "no cause lease terminations".

    I have no problem with the transmission of accurate information to help people, but both the Zillow and law firm interpretation are greatly inaccurate. Why not link to the actual text in the CARES Act? Why present inaccurate information that is only going to encourage people to not pay rent? I have defended and supported Zillow in the past, but this is a slap in the face. 

    Here is a copy of the full e-mail from Zillow:

    Eviction protection during COVID-19
    The first thing you can do is contact your landlord or property manager to discuss your situation. You may be temporarily protected from eviction under the federal CARES Act, which stands for Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security.

    According to the National Housing Law Project, the CARES Act prevents a tenant from being evicted for 120 days if you or the property meet one of the following conditions:
    • You live in a property that is financed with a federally backed mortgage loan.
    • You received rental housing assistance through one of the many federal voucher programs including Housing Choice. These resources are outlined here by the National Housing Law Project.
    • You receive rental housing assistance through a rural housing voucher program.
    If you or your rental meet any of these conditions, your landlord can’t initiate a new eviction notice until July 25, 2020, and you must be given an additional 30 days — or until August 24 — to leave the property. During that time, you cannot be charged late fees, penalties or other charges for late rent payments.

    While the moratorium provides protection from eviction, the law does not exempt renters from having to pay their rent once the protections expire.
    More Resources:
    • The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides assistance at a federal level but also works with state and local agencies. Learn what programs and services are available in your area.

     Agents have been talking about boycotting Zillow for years but they continue spending their money on Zillow advertising. Looks like Zillow thinks that as long as they've got the traffic they are untouchable. Thus far, agents are proving them right.

     You are right, they have locked in people due to traffic. I don't even have a big issue with paying them. I just struggle to see how sending this e-mail benefits Zillow. Maybe more vacancy? 

    1Reply
  • James Wise
    Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 31k+ posts · 20k+ votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Joe Splitrock:
    Originally posted by @James Wise:
    Originally posted by @Joe Splitrock:

    Do I really think Zillow hates landlords? Well actions speak louder than words. I was surprised to get an e-mail encouraging tenants to not pay rent until August 24th. Landlords and realtors are the main revenue source for Zillow. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you! 

    I received an e-mail from Zillow informing me that due to the CARES act, tenants cannot be evicted for 120 days. No place do they clarify anything about it being due to lack of payment related to COVID-10. They don't state tenants should still pay rent. They don't state it is for hardship due to COVID-19. They only say "the law does not exempt renters from having to pay their rent once the protections expire." They go on to say you have until August 24 to pay and cannot get any late fees or penalties.

    Instead of linking to the actual wording from the CARES Act, they link to a National Housing Law Project memo which has a very skewed and liberal interpretation of this. They state that any tenant should assume their landlords property qualifies. They also state that ANY eviction should be contested, even if not payment related. They state that includes "no cause lease terminations".

    I have no problem with the transmission of accurate information to help people, but both the Zillow and law firm interpretation are greatly inaccurate. Why not link to the actual text in the CARES Act? Why present inaccurate information that is only going to encourage people to not pay rent? I have defended and supported Zillow in the past, but this is a slap in the face. 

    Here is a copy of the full e-mail from Zillow:

    Eviction protection during COVID-19
    The first thing you can do is contact your landlord or property manager to discuss your situation. You may be temporarily protected from eviction under the federal CARES Act, which stands for Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security.

    According to the National Housing Law Project, the CARES Act prevents a tenant from being evicted for 120 days if you or the property meet one of the following conditions:
    • You live in a property that is financed with a federally backed mortgage loan.
    • You received rental housing assistance through one of the many federal voucher programs including Housing Choice. These resources are outlined here by the National Housing Law Project.
    • You receive rental housing assistance through a rural housing voucher program.
    If you or your rental meet any of these conditions, your landlord can’t initiate a new eviction notice until July 25, 2020, and you must be given an additional 30 days — or until August 24 — to leave the property. During that time, you cannot be charged late fees, penalties or other charges for late rent payments.

    While the moratorium provides protection from eviction, the law does not exempt renters from having to pay their rent once the protections expire.
    More Resources:
    • The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides assistance at a federal level but also works with state and local agencies. Learn what programs and services are available in your area.

     Agents have been talking about boycotting Zillow for years but they continue spending their money on Zillow advertising. Looks like Zillow thinks that as long as they've got the traffic they are untouchable. Thus far, agents are proving them right.

     You are right, they have locked in people due to traffic. I don't even have a big issue with paying them. I just struggle to see how sending this e-mail benefits Zillow. Maybe more vacancy? 

     Zillow has only recently began charging for "for rent" listings.....That's the name of the game man. Give it away free until the traffic is so big that folks are hooked. Landlords are hooked now as they've made it the go to place for potential tenants. Landlords have no choice but to go where the tenant eyeballs are. And since the tenant eyeballs are already there no reason Zillow wouldn't pander to them. They need them to keep going there so they can continue strong arming the landlords.

    2Reply
  • Patrick M.
    Rental Property Investor · Red Bank, NJ · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    6y

    @Joe Splitrock I use them and haven't received this. This really takes the cake!

    1Reply
  • Joe SplitrockPro Member
    Moderator
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Sioux Falls, SD · Member since 2015 · 9k+ posts · 18k+ votes
    6y

    Here is the link to the CARES Act. Section 4024 is covering evictions is on page 561: 

    https://www.congress.gov/116/bills/hr748/BILLS-116hr748eas.pdf

    It states the eviction moratorium is limited to "nonpayment of rent" and it  never says tenants don't have to pay rent. It just says evictions are delaying in cases of nonpayment of rent. It also never states that a landlord cannot pursue a court judgement for rents owed. In other words, you may not be able to evict, but you can get a judgement for money owed and you can evict at the end of the period. It is important for tenants to know that failure to pay rent has consequences.

    Tenants also need to know that if they are violating other lease terms or if the lease ends, they can still be evicted. 

    As I have said before, if a tenant has real COVID-19 related hardship, I encourage all landlords to work with them in good faith. Many cities have rent assistance programs. Unemployment is available for anyone who lost a job. Stimulus payments have been sent to anyone within the wage guidelines. Every landlord I have talked to has committed to working with people in hardship situations to find ways for them to pay rent and stay in the property.

    0Reply
  • Joe SplitrockPro Member
    Moderator
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Sioux Falls, SD · Member since 2015 · 9k+ posts · 18k+ votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Patrick M.:

    @Joe Splitrock I use them and haven't received this. This really takes the cake!

     This is not going out to landlords. I have two accounts with Zillow. One is a landlord account and the other is one I use to check rent prices, so I appear as a renter on that one. They should have sent something to landlords telling them they are altering all tenants they cannot be evicted. 

    3Reply
  • Patrick M.
    Rental Property Investor · Red Bank, NJ · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    6y

    @Joe Splitrock That is a scumbag move!

    0Reply
  • Bjorn AhlbladPro Member
    Investor · Shelton, WA · Member since 2017 · 6k+ posts · 6k+ votes
    6y

    @Joe Splitrock being sent a direct email like that is way worse than someone reading a piece from a news source. Zillow is seen as an 'expert' in RE and renting. They need to be taken to task for this.

    2Reply
  • Joe SplitrockPro Member
    Moderator
    OP
    Rental Property Investor · Sioux Falls, SD · Member since 2015 · 9k+ posts · 18k+ votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Bjorn Ahlblad:

    @Joe Splitrock being sent a direct email like that is way worse than someone reading a piece from a news source. Zillow is seen as an 'expert' in RE and renting. They need to be taken to task for this.

     I agree. They are reaching tenants directly and Zillow is seen as a reliable source of information. Worse yet, they are using the e-mail addresses of people who applied to rent my properties. So I list my property on Zillow and they send them an e-mail telling them they can't be evicted and don't need to pay rent until August. Never mind the fact that my state and many others never fully shut down. All my tenants are getting paid. It is also misleading because not all my properties are not even part of government backed loans, therefore they would not qualify. 

    1Reply
  • Joel Atzenhoffer
    Property Manager · Columbus, OH · Member since 2020 · 28 posts · 12 votes
    6y

    Thanks @Joe Splitrock, this information is certainly misleading.  As I work for a property management company we are finding that we have to constantly email tenants and provide them with the facts as many tenants are just assuming they do not have to pay rent.  They are not aware that many landlords are out of pocket and are not receiving any assistance. 

    1Reply
  • Sam Leon
    Investor · Fort Lauderdale, FL · Member since 2012 · 1k+ posts · 465 votes
    6y

    A confusing move by Zillow for sure.  I am very disappointed with their services since they took over Postlets.  Took a totally free functional system and turned it into a paid system full of bugs.

    I recently visited Zillow to do some market research and noticed on every rental listing they are showing this:

    In-person tours may not currently allow for safe social distancing or comply with public health orders. If you select "Request a tour," please consider alternatives, such as Zillow 3D Home™ tours or video consultations.

    So they are basically making the decision for the landlords and tell the applicants you are reluctant to show the property due to COVID-19?

    1Reply
  • Robert C.
    Investor · San Francisco, CA · Member since 2016 · 338 posts · 444 votes
    6y

    @Joe Splitrock, I agree that Zillow needs to be replaced as the go to place for tenant leads. Aside from this incident, they are definitely getting away with a lot of shoddy practices because of their growing market share. @James Wise has it right that they are unstoppable as long as they receive the eyeballs. I did their paid advertising for Zillow rental manager once, and you can tell that their internal technologies are jacked up, and their monetization practices are sneaky. I'm pretty sure they are re-selling tenant data any way that they can. 

    I'm hopeful that there will still be competition in the market place in the future. And I'm glad that some of my apartments don't need anything except a "for rent" sign in the front yard to attract renters. I used to be in online advertising, and in that business you were always doing business at the whims of google and facebook. I really don't want that type of situation happening with leasing.

    1Reply
  • Avery CarlBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · USA · Member since 2016 · 909 posts · 1k+ votes
    6y

    @Joe Splitrock Zillow hates everyone haha

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    1Reply
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