Zillow Hates Landlords

[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.