Right now, they have to do nothing to show need to excuse their non-payment.

Unfortunately the COVID situation is the excuse that some members of Seattle leadership needed to try out housing policies they have been wanting long before the emergency declaration - no late fees on rent,  no evictions for any reason,  housing payments basically optional,  landlords unable to enforce any rental agreement terms.They aren't done yet either - another ordinance is already in the works preventing us from using eviction history in screening potential applicants also supposedly temporary for 6 months after the emergency orders end,   and it also extends the prohibition on any late fees for a year.I hate to say it but I have before and I will again - do not invest new money in rental properties in Seattle without pricing in all these additional risks.   

You will hear every excuse in the book from tenants.

On top of it, there is no excuse to having a property manager.  

What’s the excuse for that?! 

If you allow a pet, go in the unit or home 1 week later and check on the housekeeping and the animal's conditions, if the is an issue grow a pair and speak up and correct it, leave with the understanding that you'll be checking again or make another excuse like, I'm going to need to get in here to check the HVAC soon, I can call you a few minutes before I come as I'll just be swinging by when I can.

Not to make any excuses, I know we should have had a substancial savings or insurance to protect us from that but live and learn.

Don’t confuse no money down as an excuse for being broke.  

And it was a great start to a relationship that is still alive years later.On the other hand: I had a licensed broker recommended by an investor friend in Indianapolis, flew out there to look at the market and meet him, partnered with a local to me friend who had done local flips (that was my first flip, but I was no REI novice) and has an advanced accounting degree, also had the friend vet the broker and each property he brought to our consideration for a flip, finally agreed on a specific property after months of turning down others, signed a very specific (our attorney-drawn) contract that outlined project management responsibilities by the broker, kept in touch through the (delayed) process (and numerous excuses that - at that time - did not seem unreasonable,) flew out there again when the rehab was completed (and found a bunch of issues “on the surface” that he quickly addressed,) only to eventually lose a lot of money through the broker’s apparent negligence and downright fraud...

The usual excuse is safety and reliability, the real reason is that they crave the appearance of wealth and status that come with "a nice car."