The Apartment Owners Association massively disagrees like you do.

I disagree with it like you do too; so much so that I posted on my blog about it last night. My only income right now is rents.

Politicians have turned our rent into welfare and made home owners the benefactors, it's very, very wrong! CA is constantly losing builders and investors over these asinine politics. Allow case by case to open a duologue but quit encouraging gainfully employed tenants to take advantage! Let the politicians fund this with their salaries first.

How To Survive the “FREE RENT” Pandemic in CA!

Tony ~ There isn't enough emphasis that a rent abatement/deferral is for those that need it... not for everyone just because your don't want to pay rent.  I think it is over promoted without the needed context for qualification.

Lost a deal today because the tenants refuse to pay and refuse to leave.  And because of COVID, local courthouse won't issue eviction notices for at least the next month.  So landlord gets no rent, and we pulled the home off the market until the tenants are out.  No point in getting it under contract again just to have the tenants continue to squat.  And they stopped paying their rent LONG before coronavirus was a thing. 

It could backfire on those who are touting irresponsibility...nothing is FREE. Wish you the best Tony and God Bless America!

No I am not wild about promoting this at all. Tenants without a job = stuck with possibly no savings. Property owners or property managers.....getting the shaft unless the tenant can make arrangements to make payments and get caught up as quickly as possible.  Many of us rent out properties and depend on the income, especially now.

This is completely out of line. Landlords take enormous risks and rely on the income property formula to succeed. If we go off formula all of it fails! Existing laws tended to protect tenants but landlords were always entitled to their property at some point. To remove the threat of eviction, suspend payments and indicate this is appropriate even for months to come is wrong

Here's the balanced point of view...Let the government pay the rent so landlords are not affected, the tenants protected & banks get their money

Even more balance: All must work together & sacrifice during these times

well it's hard to pay if you aren't getting paid, but promoting it is stupid.

I don't know who's doing that. Never heard anything about it but there has been some protests I saw.

It's not that they don't need to pay their rent, it's that they can ask for a deferement if they can't afford to pay.  It gives the landlord the option to say no, to say yes or to negotiate something in between.  I think it should greatly depend on if the landlord can get their mortgage payments postponed.

The only person constant advertisement benefits is the politicians.  At least the CAR forms require PROOF of inability to pay the rent.  No proof, no deferement.

'they don't need to pay their rent NOW'
they will have to make their landlord whole in time . . . 
the deal they made is not wiped clean!

if they can pay now, they should.

"Fair" ... you lost me right there. 

I don't believe that tenants will be in a very good position if they don't continue paying what they can towards rent.  Just because evictions are on pause does not mean they are absolved from their obligations of the contract.

There is nothing that is happening right now that is fair.  It's an international pandemic.

Deferral of evictions does not mean that they do not owe the rent.

It's not that they "don't need to pay"; the focus is rather on the fact that they will not be evicted if they cannot pay.

The laws have always been stacked against the landlord, need to be doubly careful of the character of the people you allow into your properties.

What do you think?  What is fair?  Case by case with my rental units.  No garentee if you forgive they will pay later. 

I think it's a travisty Tony Lewis . There were to many out there gaming the system before this and now there will be more.

The devil is in the details but exists elsewhere.  

Hello Tony, I have no clue who is promoting that a tenant does not need to pay rent. In New Mexico, our Supreme Count ruled that a tenant can not be evicted if rent not paid due to Covid-19 financial hardship. Next, our Governor has prohibited short term/vacation rentals period. Yes, there are unintended consequences for the owner/investor of rental and vacation properties - the major one is no income. However, the owners have an asset to sell which is something a tenant does not and in my Santa Fe New Mexico community many are service employees without a job. Covid-19 is impacting all of us and degree is based on where you are on the real estate food chain. This is a time like no other. And yes, it will pass. In the meantime, practice social distancing and real estate online. I hope none of your tenants become a victim of the virus. And I trust you will do all you can to help them. 

When I rent to tenants, one of the things I consider is what happens if they loose their job or their car breaks down.

Those that need to time their move out of their existing rental to moving into mine get eliminated.

If someone is stretched so thin, I do not want them.

So far all my tenants paid timely...I expect the same next month.

Eve

NO because it will be a big wake up call when 1, 2 or 3 months payments are due and the evictions are lifted, their stimulous long spent and no money left to pay facing eviction. 

No. Renters don't need to put themselves in a whole anymore than they have to.

It's an ELECTION year.

Unless you live in Chicago, landlords only have one vote. "Look what i did to put money (someone elses money) in your(tennant, voter) pocket.

It is now a race who can promise and appear to deliver the most. 2 TRILLION dollars. Nancy will try to claim it for ahhh,mmmm, you know 'what's his name."

Is it fair?  Well, it is life.

Landlords are getting the short end of the stick. Out of work due to Covid-19 renters deserve a break. Where is the realistic middle ground?

It could create a situation where the tenant can’t catch back up

Do I need to pay for my groceries or gasoline? While there are situations where scenarios are available, it is not a cookie cutter situation. Okay, for buying the vote, but not for paying the bills!

I think it is more than fair. Here s my area we have a private facebook group set up and most rental property owners here are in it.

I didn't hear "you don't have to pay rent", but "you can't be evicted for the time being if you are unable to pay your rent".  My tenants on fixed incomes are paying faithfully.  I have a young couple who called to say the rent would be late because the husband lost his job.  I cut their rent in half for April and May. And most likely will in June.  They were most grateful and everything has been paid on time.  Throwing people out when times are hard (through no fault of their own) makes me think of "debtors' prison".

I do agree that some polititians make landlords out to be the greedy enemy instead of legitimate business people providing a service. That doesn't help this situation.

Not at all.  I'm not sure where this trend has come from that tenants have more rights than landlords but its been that way for awhile now & this makes it even worse.