A landlord took to Reddit to share the response he gave his tenant after learning she wouldn’t be able to pay rent. His compassion shows that not all landlords have to take a hard line when collecting rent, and that they can show empathy during difficult times and still be successful.
People often have negative opinions of landlords and property managers because of the fact that they all seem to be quite money-hungry and unsympathetic to the personal lives of their tenants. Considering many people are struggling to keep a roof over their heads, now more than ever, we need more landlords who genuinely care about their residents.
“I’ve got a tenant who has been with me for 5 years. Zero issues. Rent always on time, she keeps the place spotless, never calls over nonsense, and anytime something breaks she just handles it and lets me know after. Honestly one of the best tenants I’ve ever had,” he began in his Reddit post.
He explained that he had received a distressing call from her recently, explaining that she’s been having some health problems and had to go on FMLA, which means she wasn’t going to be paid at work for a number of weeks while she recovered. She also doesn’t qualify for disability, so now she has no income coming and therefore no way to cover her rent.
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Rather than immediately acting unsympathetically, he quickly reassured her that she didn’t have to stress herself out about paying rent and gave her 90 days during which she didn’t have to pay him at all. It was a selfless decision considering that at the end of the day, collecting rent from his tenants is how he makes his living, but he insisted that he would rather give her a pass than lose out on a reliable tenant.
“My logic is simple: I’d rather support a great tenant who’s always done right by me than force her out over a tough temporary situation. Losing a few months of rent is easier than losing someone reliable long-term,” he continued. Many people in the comments section commended him for not only giving grace to his tenant but for understanding that life isn’t always about money when someone is struggling.
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It’s not uncommon for people to be unable to afford their rent, especially right now. According to data from the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, researchers found a record high 22.4 million renter households — or half of renters nationwide — were spending more than 30% of their income on rent in 2022.
Basically, when you’re spending most of your paycheck on rent, life gets incredibly difficult to afford. If something happens to your pay, there’s no safety net.
But the attitude towards landlords is even worse. In a survey from LendingTree, nearly 3 in 5 renters have disliked a landlord at some point. Some of the causes for this dislike between landlords and renters include maintenance issues, poor communication, and a lack of professionalism.
Some key findings from the study included 8% of renters saying they’ve had at least one landlord they didn’t like, with 1 in 4 (25%) disliking their current one. A whopping 37% of renters don’t believe they’re paying fair market rent, yet 60% have never negotiated lease terms.
Living right now is expensive. No one wants to rock the boat when it comes to the precarious nature of the job and housing market. Thankfully, not every person you encounter is selfishly motivated.
This landlord’s actions proved that empathy can be extended to people even when they’re bound by a lease. There doesn’t need to be a lack of compassion for people who are struggling through no fault of their own. Getting sick could happen to anyone. A lost paycheck isn’t hard to imagine. Sometimes it makes more sense to step out of your own wants and needs and realize we are all balancing on the same tightrope right now. A little kindness goes a long way.
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Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
