All Forum Posts by: Mike Griffith

Hey Everyone, I am curious if you all have been proactively  planning what your COVID-19 communication with your tenants will be for May?  The situation is so fluid, and rules for rent collection, late payment notices, time to pay back past due rent, etc. seem to be changing on a regular basis depending on where our properties are.  I would love to hear feedback on what you're all planning.  We  have several units in Portland, Oregon in Multnomah County.  I learned yesterday that we can't even ask these tenants if they are planning to pay in May, and we are required to give at least six months from the time the ban on residential evictions for non payment is lifted for tenants to pay past due rents.  We have been communicating regularly with tenants, April was better than expected with regard to tenants being able to pay.  We are working with those that have been affected and were unable to pay the full amount. 

@Marlen Weber At this point we are sticking to our original plan.  The reason I posted this question is that a few landlords and management companies in our area have begun to offer up to 30% discounts on rent for their properties during this crisis.  The ones that I am seeing doing this seem to be larger companies.  I owner manage 84 units in the Portland/Vancouver area, and could not sustain a 30% decrease in rental income for long.  So again, I am just curious as to how other landlords and property managers are changing or IF they are changing their original plan to navigate through this.

This COVID-19 crisis is changing so rapidly, I would love to get an update from other landlords as to how they are handling tenants that cant pay right now.  

Our plan for tenants that have been financially impacted by COVID-19 has been to ask them to apply immediately apply for unemployment, check with all local agencies that provide rent assistance,(we provided links to all of the local agencies that provide assistance),  try to borrow from relatives or use the option to pay with a credit card.  Once they have exhausted these resources, we have asked them to provide proof of either having been laid off or that their hours have been significantly reduced due to COVID-19, then pay what they can.  We suggest at least half, and we will make a payment plan for them to pay back whatever amount they are behind once they are allowed to go back to work.  Basically what Brandon suggested in his post from about three weeks ago.

Our plan, at the time we implemented and communicated it, seemed to be predominately what other landlords and property management companies were doing. I am curious, as the situation changes, is this still what most landlords and property managers are doing?

Thanks all of you who have replied.  I agree with the comments. 

I have tenants terminating their leases early due to COVID-19 and inability to pay.  I have early termination fees in place, however I am not sure if I should enforce them right now.  I am curious what other landlords are doing with regard to this?

@Nels Norquist That's where I think the governors order is unclear.  Thanks for the feedback, I have a handyman that does all my tenant turnovers.  I'm going to get him to work today.

Hey everyone, We own units in both Oregon and SW Washington state. In Washington state, all non essential work has stopped. According to the WSRHA we can not even send employees to prepare a vacant unit for a new tenant.  The order in Oregon is less clear.  Can anyone provide clarity on weather we are allowed to work on our vacant units in Portland?