In the past, when I was doing a financial transactions, when it came out that I was a "landlord" with income property, I got treated with respect and was given fair treatment.

In todays economy with restrictions on landlords to control their property or collect rents, my dealings get depressing. Vendors, lenders, etc. think I have a large burden with mortgages, taxes, utilities and deadbeat tenants, they are worried that I won't be able to meet my obligations...and prefer not to take a "chance" on landlords.

I secure housing at my own risk and expense. I either do the repairs or arrange for them to be done including managing them. I market the property, find the prospective tenants, vet them and make management decisions as to weather I will accept them. I take the risk. I inspect and schedule and often perform maintenance on both the property nd the yard,

I do the paperwork.

But none of that is "work" according to them, right.

I second that 6 x 6.

Everyone's moral compass is different.

I think, at least in the first go-round when self employed qualified, the criteria was based solely on what the applicant stated - no proof required.

A good portion of the population takes every benefit they can find.... should you? Personal decision certainly.

If your landlording is a business where you pay yourself a wage, then you should qualify for unemployment. If you don't pay yourself a wage, then you haven't paid into unemployment, and therefore don't qualify, right? Isn't it basically as simple as that?

Most landlords do not pay themselves a "wage" and do not pay for unemployment insurance -- and therefore do not qualify for normal unemployment nor PUA benefits, correct?

My guess is that if your landlording was a C-Corp or S-Corp and you paid yourself wages as an employee of that, then you would have paid into unemployment and qualified for standard unemployment and/or PUA if "laid off." But, then, your title wouldn't be "landlord", it would be something else as a wage-earning employee.

So, I guess I get that argument that "landlords" (in the traditional sense like most of us), would not qualify for "unemployment" or PUA.

- John...

John, pre-pandemic, you were correct.

Nicole: Agreed. They did open it up to "self-employed" folks and others that haven't paid into unemployment.

But I am not surprised that they don't group landlords into that group really either.

As Don said, they just don't classify us that way.

I suppose we can focus on how we are getting robbed, or you can look at your system and see if you can improve on it.

Taking an example that John used, you can pay yourself and then use that income for your solo 401K or Simple retirement plan. Yes you have to pay into the system and be considered an active real estate professional.

Do retirement plans come with company matches? Sure they do - so looks like you get paid but all that money just really got dumped into your Roth account any way.