"I can financially float some things for now with my savings or by taking out credit cards, but, look, if this is going on until February or March, we are going to be in some real problems."

"My property taxes are $70k this year. Usually, I take out a line of credit [for this] and then pay off my line of credit through the rent. If my tenants are behind, how will I pay my debt? Do I need to sell a property to get that amount of money to pay off […]

"One building in Mason Park, Magnolia, post-Harvey-appraised at $135K, it went up to $270k in one year. That was the first time I had to raise the rents. I protested, and they lowered it by 24 percent. On Montrose, it is outrageous. Those property taxes tripled over the last 10 years. How can I keep […]

"It is a risk, but if we were able to evict for non-payment, there wouldn’t be that additional wear and tear because they cannot be evicted. There is no incentive for payment."

"Come the end of the moratorium, if they are six months behind, give me 1k and don’t worry about it anymore. You do your best."

Small landlords are feeling squeezed. And if it pushes them to the point of selling their properties, this can lead to a collective public crisis. For the tenants, foreclosures or distress selling (and even soft exits) can lead to disruptive dislocation. For the neighborhood, this can result in reduced property values.

Strengthening the landlord and tenant relationship is more crucial now. Tenants who don’t communicate with landlords and don’t have an open relationship with their landlords are at risk of eviction or stricter consequences. If the landlord believes that the tenants aren’t trying their best to get a stable source of income to be able to […]

Small landlords are experiencing a mental and emotional health crisis as well. Short-term cash flow restriction isn’t just a financial issue, but a health issue as well. Their tenants are behind on rent. Property expenses are piling up. Many have had to dip into savings or contemplate selling off their property— a.k.a., “retirement funds”—during these […]

"My maintenance and repairs across my 74 units cost me over $150K a year. It’s a lot, and I cover it with rent. During COVID, I am only performing the necessities. And I try to not do things on the weekend, as repairs cost more on weekends. I only do repairs on weekends if it’s […]

"Legally, I don’t have to do repairs if someone is not paying rent. But morally, that isn’t right. Plus, it makes business sense to do repairs: Am I going to get people to stay if I don't do repairs? Are people going to try to pay off their rent if I don’t do repairs? No!"