Non-Paying Tenant Due to Covid - What Options as a Landlord?

[Dan Gustavson]

Hey Community - I have some questions and would love some guidance on what I can/cannot do as a landlord during the moratorium (in Salt Lake City). Feb 1st my tenant paid 2/3rd of the monthly rent and then sent us a text stating she had missed out on work due to covid and would like a reduced rent (she asked for a $650 reduction) for the next three months, then after that, she would resume paying and sign a new least when the current one expires the end of April. Neither of us mentioned the CARES/CDC moratorium in our brief conversation. However, I do know she is supposed to send me a signed declaration and has to go through a list of other qualifications in order to be protected, she has not done any of the required guidelines. I said I would be willing to work with her but had some questions and asked if she had applied for the rental assistance program, she said she would look into it. I asker her three days later what the status was and she said she would do it that day. I asked again the next day and now she has gone silent. Figured she would be all over that rent relief program as it's free money for her and I still get full rent.. win win. Regardless, I will be sending her a non-renewal letter as I won't be signing another lease with her.

What are my options here, I know that it's in my favor that the annual lease she signed is expiring soon, but can I serve her with a Pay or Vacate eviction notice right now since she hasn't provided me with any information that she's struggling other than a brief text message or does that break the moratorium guidelines? I am hoping she responds back to me this weekend, I would like to work out the situation rather than it get ugly.

Appreciate your guidance, I'm dealing with all of this while on a deployment in Iraq and have never had to deal with possible eviction issues, so thank you!