Business

Small Landlords: Covid-19 Hit Us, Too

By David Wang

Spectrum staff

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit New York, government officials made protecting tenants a legislative priority. For tenants unable to pay their rent, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a moratorium on evictions until August 20. But now landlords across the state are arguing that government policies are putting them in an untenable situation.

Some landlords, and advocacy groups have taken to public platforms, including Facebook, to voice their complaints. One such group, NY Landlords, say they are facing hostile tenants, increased property taxes, and a total lack of government assistance.

“Most of the landlords in our group, you know, we’re not big shot landlords that own multiple buildings. We’re just your average landlords. We are no longer able to pay our mortgages, and we have to refinance our houses, and the rates went down…if the landlord can’t do that, then they have to foreclose the house,” said Dmitry Nozik, a co-founder of NY Landlords.

Mike Soyfer, another co-founder, adds, “When the pandemic struck, everybody got a bailout except for the landlords. It’s not like the government’s saying everybody can go to the restaurants and eat for free. Why should the landlords have to provide free housing?”

Nozik and Soyfer are not alone in their discontent. Many landlords share similar experiences, expressing indignation at the lack of legal recourse provided to them by the government.

Alise Underwood is a 30-year-old landlord who owns a duplex in Buffalo, New York. Underwood lives on the bottom floor; her tenant lives upstairs.

“There is a blanket wave of inaction from the government on all types of evictions,” says Underwood. “All of my city taxes have not stopped. My water bills have not stopped. My utilities, all of them. All of those have not stopped. I’ve gotta pay those for my tenant as well. And if I refuse to pay them, guess who gets fined more for that? Me.”

In New York, during the pandemic, there is no option available for landlords dealing with a non-paying or abusive tenant. Housing Courts are refusing to hear cases until the moratorium lifts. District attorney offices will not file orders unless there is a police arrest, and the police will not arrest any tenant that has not committed a crime — even if that tenant has broken terms according to their lease.

“It seems like a very biased situation to me, at least, against landlords. What is to say that I don’t need the same protections as my tenant? We’re facing the same things as everyone else…there’s no reason to put them on some evil pedestal and assume that we should protect the tenants at all cost. And if I lose my home, then no one has a place to stay anyways.”

Peter Elkowitz is president and CEO of Long Island Housing Partnership, a non-profit organization that according to the LIHP’s website, seeks to “provide affordable housing opportunities.” Asked about the impact of COVID-19 on housing, Elkowitz stresses the importance of taking all sides into account: “There’s been changes all around. We need to, as a country and a community, make mutual decisions to help everyone.

As New York begins its slow journey to recovery, many landlords say they are facing an increasingly uncertain future and unless the government addresses their situation they say they face financial ruin.