Written by Julianne Foster
With the COVID-19 pandemic gaining control again over California counties, the San Diego City Council voted to extend the eviction moratorium again for commercial and residential evictions.
Renters need only notify their landlord in writing on or before the day their rent is due. They have to provide proof of their financial hardships due to COVID-19 in one week following the written notice. For families who have lost their source of income, this is a great relief. However, many landlords are hurting even more as the months drag on with no payments from renters or relief funds. The original extension was scheduled to end July 1, but will now be an option through September 30. Until then, landlords and renters are told to continue working out payments on their own.
The vote passed 5-4, with Councilmembers Georgette Gómez, Monica Montgomery, Jennifer Campbell, Chris Ward, and Vivian Moreno in favor, while Scott Sherman, Chris Cate, Mark Kersey, and Barbara Bry voted in opposition. March 25 was the beginning of this moratorium, making this the second extension in place. Councilmembers made their decision after listening to two hours of comments from residents, with some requesting for the extension to last till the end of the year. This would mean a great loss for landlords struggling to pay their own bills when they aren’t receiving any rental assistance.
One landlord, Claudette Copper of San Diego City Property Management, was interviewed by CBS 8. “This is a serious problem. You cannot decide that it’s a one-size-fits-all and give tenants a carte blanche to not pay their rent,” said Copper. “They have to pay their mortgage, HOA dues, property taxes, and they’re getting no rent, so you can’t go and lose $3,000 a month or $2,500 a month because your tenant is no longer paying and refuses to move out.”
With renters protesting for the extension, councilmembers have worked to fulfill their needs. Republican City Councilmen Scott Sherman and Chris Cate voted against the eviction moratorium because they see the pressure placed on landlords and are alternatively in support of a rental assistance program. The City Council is scheduled to establish the rental assistance program with more than $15 million in federal CARES Act funds.
The needs of landlords have been neglected too long since, as Copper explained, “it’s assumed that the landlord is wealthy, and that is not the case. In many situations, the tenants have more money than the landlord does.”
Landlords and local leaders are sympathetic for good tenants who honestly cannot pay their rent, but some tenants are using this as an opportunity to get free rent with no regard for how it affects others. The rental assistance program could at least support landlords to pay their mortgages so they can peacefully keep their tenants without losing their source of income themselves.
