"more than 20 millions jobs in America disappeared in April, and nearly 15% of people in the US are now jobless"
Although the paycheck have stopped, the rent bills haven't.
According to the bureau of labor statistics, housing is the most expensive budget item for average American households. It accounts for an average of 32% of all expenditures. With mortgage payments or rent drawing so heavily on consumer finances, it's not surprising that sometimes people have to say, "I can't pay my rent"
It's a frightening situation to be in. If you found yourselves in, there can still be a way out. We found that having a plan, knowing our rights and talking openly to our landlord made all the difference in the world.
1. Check your lease: find out exactly what your agreement says about rent, whether you have a grace period and what your landlords option for recourse are;
You should also make sure you're aware of what your rights are as a tenant in your area. This list of state by state resources from the department of housing and urban development is a great place to start, as it will point you right toward what you need to know about the rules and laws in your state, during the current economic downtown, many cities and states have enacted temporary eviction moratoriums and rent freezes, which means that your landlord may not be able to evict you.
You may also want to look at current housing rules in your city, as some cities are offering rent assistance and other means to help renters during the current economic difficulties.
Together, these resources should give you a clear expectation of what to expect then went forth to your landlord.
*Ask your landlord in writing (as far in advance as possible) for a few extra days.
*Explain your difficulties and emphasize (if you can) that they are only temporary.
*Offer (if at all possible) to pay at least some of the rent on time.
*Give your landlord writting assurance of your plan to pay the full rent by a certain date, such as the 15th of the month- and make sure you keep your promise.
*Explain that the problem won't happen again that you'll pay your rent on time in the future.
*Be prepared to pay a late fee if the landlord has a late fee policy. Or, if you think your landlord will be responsive, and your late rent is a rare occurrence see if you can get him to forgo the late fee.
2.know what you can afford and have a plan.
When you have this conversation with your landlord, you should have a plan in mind. What is the outcome you're hoping to achieve from this beyond merely staying in your home during this tough time? Are you merely hoping to stave off eviction for a little well, and hope to come to an arrangement that won't results in eviction? Figure out what the desired outcome of your conversation is before you even start.
If you're aiming to stay. Put, one thing you can do for him to consider what you can afford for rent right now and suggest that as a temporary rate. For example, if your rent is normally $700 per-month and you can only afford $350 while keeping food on the table, suggest that amount, ask if you can have a temporary rent reduction to $350 month for the next Three mouths or until you get back to regular work, this won't need be the plan that your landlord proposes, but it will give the landlord food for thought.
Another thing you can do if particularly you're currently unemployed, is ask if there are tasks you can do to help make up the difference. Can you take over the mowing? Can you do some mowing for other properties? Are there tasks you can do inside the property, like repainting? Those values will save the landlord money or improve the future value of the property while keeping you in your apartment or home while money is tight.
My point is you having a plan in place gives you a clear starting point in conversations with the landlord. Without that, your landlord is just going to guess what you can offer and will potentially suggest what won't work out.
3.dont ignore the problem and it won't go away.
If you can't pay the rent on time, you may be tempted to hope the landlord won't notice after all, she's got many tenant's to keep track of, and one late check will hardly be noticed, right? Wrong. Remember it's likely that your landlord is counting on your timely check to cover her own mortgage payment, because the bank won't forgive her tardiness, she can't afford to ignore yours. And it's equally naive to think that you can ignore the landlords phone calls or email or think that she will swallow ridiculously lame excuses.
4.never send a check you know will bounce.
Nothing infuriates a landlord more than dealing with a sneaky tenant who consistently bounces rent checks. Stirring up your landlord's ire isn't the only consequences of bad check: keep in mind that sending a Worthless check (or one that's not signed) Is like sending no rent at all. If your landlord has a late fee policy, it will kick in regardless of your bounced check; and, if your landlord chooses, he can also terminate your tenancy.
Like any other business, your landlord has the legal rights to charge you if your rent checks bounces. The charge must be reasonable-such as the amount the bank charges for a returned check, probably $10 to $20 per returned item, plus a few dollars for the landlord's trouble.
A landlord who considers you a good tenant won't want to lose you, since it's often difficult and expensive to evict. You, then find and move in good tenants. This means you can probably get the landlord to accept a portion and the rest later.
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