This is an ethical question about what is the right thing to do.

Is it right or wrong to suggest to my paying tenants that they can get 15 months of free rent if they apply for rental assistance even though they are paying their rent and have not asked for rental assistance?

Based on the Virginia guidelines, any tenant that has been effected by the covid pandemic qualifies for rental assistance.

In other words, all tenants in Virginia qualify for rental assistance.

If a tenant has been effected by the covid crisis, they qualify for up to 15 months of rental assistance.

So, what would you do?

Thanks

This is not a question about the rights and wrongs of covid.

It is a question about taking full advantage of a government assistance program.

If they are paying the rent I think they will not qualify.

Once upon a time, I would've stayed silent and not informed them. I believe a person should only utilize Govt/public funds when they have tried all other options without success.

But the world has changed. The Govt shut the economy down, so everyone was "affected by Covid". That is an intentionally vague phrase so that anyone can possibly qualify. Let them try to qualify, I suppose. Govt caused the problem: Govt should pay for the problem. I used to not think this way because "Govt pay" really meant "my fellow tax payers pay", but that is no longer true.

Public funds aren't even really public funds: it's printed/digit money crated out of thin air via the FED which is causing inflation that is stealing the value of money we already own. Therefore, if you want to get some of that back, by all means I see no problem with it. Not a single dollar of Covid "relief" money came from tax revenues. It all came from MMT (Modern Monetary Theory....Magic Money Tree). It's not real. When something isn't real, it can't be stolen.

Basically, my thoughts recently is that the old rules no longer apply. The Govt has said, "Ya'll come get yer free money." All rightly then.

According to the Virginia rent relief web site, a tenant qualifies for rental assistance if they have had any of the following:

A negative financial impact from covid

- or -

Reduced work hours

- or -

Increased food costs

- or -

increased utilities.

The tenant has to sign a statement that they have experienced at least one of the above.

Everyone has experienced at least one of those items. Have you been to the grocery store lately? Have you looked at your fuel oil bill or gas bill?

The tenant can have paid the rent on time for the entire pandemic and still qualify for rental assistance.

From what I have read about other states, Virginia has one of the easier rent relief programs.

I know it's administered state by state but the application has to be review and there has to be a legitimate hardship. Here it takes months. So if tenant "fraudulently" applies and 6 months later is denied they will likely have spent the money they otherwise would have used for rent. After all it was going to be paid by the government.

MMIT

You are asking a trick question.

You have someone who is paying. If you let them know about the program, you are also saying don't pay me. So what happens then when it takes 90 days to get those funds and they still have not paid?

Do you keep them?

What happens if after 120 days they don't get any money and they refuse to leave?

I think people dont realize Va. rent relief different than most states.

I first wanted nothing to do with it. But once whole apartment complexes started giving everyone a notice on the door. They are entitled to free rent. Just apply at the office.

The cat was out of the bag. And everyone started asking.

Plus the Va. law where LL are actually required to apply for past due tenants. So you have to wait for this time anyway.

And there can never be a claim of fraud. Since also to qualify you could have just bought a extra can of Lysol. So you just check the box for bought extra cleaning supplies as the reason.

I have been lucky only one was actually past due. The rest we did where very good long term tenants. First was a 20 year tenant that her husband just died. So was very grateful.

Anyway we still require people to pay. When the check comes in for the state. We are required to apply it to the months on the application. Then we refund the payments made back to the tenants. Or apply as a credit to future months. Crazy yes. But this is allowed. And made sure we had a email confirmation on this policy. Since yes it sounded like fraud to me also.

Also tenant does not have to be past due. You can still apply for the next 3 months in advance. For one person the income limit is about 51K to qualify.

But I do agree. It will cause more problems in the future.

Training tenants they dont have to pay. We already have seen this with unemployment. And people that dont want to get back to work.

Also another crazy part. Does not apply to two cites. But the rest of the state. Section 8 tenants can file for their portion of the rent.

When I (working with the tenant) have submitted rent relief applications, it takes about a week for it to be processed. After a week, the rent relief program will send an email stating how much they will pay.

It takes about 3 more weeks to get the check.

The check is sent directly to the landlord.

If we apply on the 1st of the month, we can expect a rent relief check by the end of the month.

In this example, the check can include past due rent, fees, plus 3 more months.

As RR78 said, the tenant gets a refund for overlapping payments.

MMIT

Even if VA is a unique case and it's easy, free money the state will run out of it quickly because everyone is applying. They will realize their folly and change the rules.

Larry,

That is the problem. Received 1 billion in funding. Takes awhile even for the state to spend that much.

Deadline is 2025. Worse case estimates I have seen is it runs out end of 2023.

Was only a short time they allowed it for mortgage payments. That has stopped.

And that amount could have lasted 30 years or more (my guess) if just used for people really in need. Like a non covid job loss or health problem. Or older people on social security. People that cant go out and work two jobs.

If any tenant is paying the rent with out government assistance why in the world would a LL suggest that some sort of free rent is available?

PG

In my state it is something most tenants know about and are asking for. I am lucky very few of ours did. So not like suggesting anything.

And yes. No strings attached. Only one is if they paid for 3 months in advance. You cant evict if needed for those 3 months. But then again does not even apply. If a LLL just applied for past due amounts and not the 3 months in advanced as allowed.

Plus what would you do?

1. Wait 3 years to file for non payment until funding runs out.

2. File anyway and waste time in court. Case will get throw out since state law requires LL to file first.

3. Or find another reason to file other than non payment. And have legal aid argue you are just trying to get around the law. And it is really about non payment.

So not a lot of options here.