早在2017年,瑞安·大衛(wèi)購買了三套用于出租的房產(chǎn),當時他預計每月扣除各種費用后的1000美元,可以成為退休后的固定收入來源。
大衛(wèi)在賓夕法尼亞州杜邦區(qū)也有房產(chǎn),他還指望那里的租金收入能夠彌補去年年初買賣不良房產(chǎn)造成的現(xiàn)金缺口。
然而新冠疫情突然來襲,聯(lián)邦政府和州政府出臺“暫停驅逐令”。于是,拖欠房租的房客越來越多。后來,就在他認為最壞情況要結束時,美國疾病控制與預防中心(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)宣布了一項新禁令,表示“暫停驅逐令”將延期至10月3日。8月中旬,一名聯(lián)邦法官駁回了阻止這項驅逐禁令的請求。
大衛(wèi)有個兩歲半的孩子,正在期待另一個孩子的降臨,他擔心自己被拖欠的2000美元房租很快會攀升至數(shù)千美元。
最新頒布的禁令“是壓死駱駝的最后一根稻草”,39歲的大衛(wèi)還表示,現(xiàn)在計劃賣掉這些公寓。“我的內(nèi)心一直來回掙扎,晚上甚至會失眠?,F(xiàn)在我決定賣掉這些房產(chǎn),然后走人。”
阿斯彭研究所(Aspen Institute)的數(shù)據(jù)顯示,自早期疫情爆發(fā)以來,大多數(shù)房客已經(jīng)不會因為拖欠房租而被驅逐,現(xiàn)在大約有1500萬以上的家庭拖欠租金,數(shù)額高達200億美元。
根據(jù)美國租賃房屋委員會(National Rental Home Council)的一項調(diào)查,大多數(shù)獨棟出租房屋的業(yè)主深受新冠疫情影響,50%的業(yè)主表示自己的租戶在疫情期間未交房租。
美國房地產(chǎn)經(jīng)紀人協(xié)會(National Association of Realtors)的數(shù)據(jù)則顯示,少于四套房產(chǎn)的小房東受到的打擊尤其嚴重,這些房東往往沒有大業(yè)主的融資,他們表示至少多達58%的房客拖欠房租。小房東被拖欠租金的情況占到全美一半以上。
不管是大房東還是小房東,都表示對“暫停驅逐令”憤怒不已,他們認為這是一項非法的禁令。許多房東認為,如果不是因為這條禁令,一些租戶本來可以支付租金。聯(lián)邦政府本來應允發(fā)放470億美元的租金援助幫助大家渡過難關,但卻遲遲沒有兌現(xiàn)。截至7月,首批租金援助250億美元中也只有30億美元到賬。
大衛(wèi)表示,兩名房客在整個新冠疫情期間均有工資收入,他們不但沒有支付房租,也沒有下功夫去申請租屋津貼。其他房東則指出很多違約租戶,明明還開著豪車、點著外賣或是去度假。
加里·扎倫巴說:“收不到租,只能退出不干了?!庇捎跁和r屩鹱饪?,扎倫巴賣掉了自己在俄亥俄州的40套房產(chǎn),在剩下的百戶公寓里,仍然有四分之一的租客為支付房租而為難萬分。他表示,自己已經(jīng)幫助一些房客申請了租屋津貼。
扎倫巴稱:“這就像一家沒有顧客的餐廳。拿不到房租,也就付不起維修工的工資,于是不得不解雇他們。那么我也無法進行維修或良好維護,因此,這意味著房屋情況會變得更糟。我也交不起稅了?!?/p>
扎倫巴在紐約市也擁有幾套房產(chǎn),他把自己的一些獨棟住宅出售給了購房者,把一些多戶商業(yè)公寓樓賣給了小型投資者。
許多房東背負著數(shù)萬美元的租金損失,這些錢本應用于退休、大學基金儲蓄或是投資,他們自己也在尋求一種安全的投資方式?,F(xiàn)在,這些房東要么刷爆信用卡,要么動用儲蓄來支付房地產(chǎn)稅、雇員工資、保險費、水費和維修費等。
“我一直在想,我什么時候才能夠拿到租金?”馬修·海恩斯說,他和妻子在美國得克薩斯州的達拉斯-沃斯堡都會區(qū)擁有253套公寓,被拖欠的租金超過30萬美元。他將其中25萬美元移交給了征收機構處理。
這對夫妻自己拿出5萬美元,避免解雇7名全職雇員和3名兼職雇員。為了節(jié)省支出,海恩斯還會自己動手維修,比如修修空調(diào)或更換泳池燈具。那些投資這些房產(chǎn)的退休人員,年回報率通常在7%到9%之間,結果去年由于租戶拖欠房租,投資的兩套多戶公寓一無所獲,第三套公寓的回報率也只有3%。
“我們竭盡全力幫助那些苦不堪言的租客。我們沒有趕走任何試圖與我們合作的房客,盡管有些人已經(jīng)拖欠七、八、九個月的房租。”他還指出,“我們還在努力做正確的事情,但變得不太現(xiàn)實?!?/p>
在紐約州北部,邁克爾·里德向一些欠租房客支付了數(shù)千美元讓他們離開后,賣掉了自己的三套房子,遏制損失。在31戶家庭中,里德已經(jīng)為其中13戶家庭支付了超過10萬美元的租金,加上2萬多美元的水費。里德自己申請了9萬美元的房屋凈值貸款,這樣可以用來支付房地產(chǎn)稅和其他賬單。8月17日,他終于收到了聯(lián)邦政府發(fā)放的9000美元租金援助,但也不過是杯水車薪。
“除了被拖欠的房租,我還損失了一大筆錢?!崩锏乱彩且幻盅嘿J款專員,這筆虧損來自于那些在紐約州賓厄姆頓和恩迪科特的欠租房客?!爸x天謝地,我平常的工作收入還不錯?!?/p>
一些業(yè)主正在利用大熱的房地產(chǎn)市場,將房產(chǎn)出售給財力雄厚的投資者,他們愿意等待“暫停驅逐令”解除,或是出售給計劃買房的家庭。越來越多的買家是外地投資者或股權基金,批評人士擔心這些買家會對房屋進行翻新,然后以更高價格出售。
里德談到與他有過溝通的數(shù)十位投資者時說:“很多房東都很反感這樣。這是在做虧本買賣。大家正在退出?!?/p>
即便是那些堅持從事房地產(chǎn)業(yè)務的人也表示,禁令迫使他們改變了經(jīng)營方式。
有些房東讓公寓空置了數(shù)月之久,要么是因為沒有錢翻新,要么是因為擔心遇到拖欠租金的房客。只要禁令還在實施,有些人不會再購買任何新房產(chǎn),另一些人則只會在較富裕的社區(qū)買房。
還有一些房東正在加強篩查過程,對疫情期間長期失業(yè)或拖欠數(shù)月租金的房客進行額外審查。
里德稱:“如果有人騙走了前房東12個月、15個月或18個月的房租,那么我不會想再租給這些人。”
這可能導致驅逐禁令解除后,面臨驅逐的低收入租戶的租房選擇減少。
“這讓每個人的處境都變得更糟。尤其是對租戶來說,情況更糟,因為我們將失去負擔得起的住房。”斯塔西·約翰遜-科斯比表示,她和丈夫在密蘇里州堪薩斯城地區(qū)擁有21套公寓。
“投資者會來買下房產(chǎn)、投入資金、重新裝修,然后以更高的價格出租?!?/p>
里克·馬丁在波士頓的多切斯特有五套房產(chǎn),在賣掉兩套之前就為此苦惱不已。在賣房之前,由于禁令出臺,這位62歲老人大部分的房子空置已久,損失了數(shù)千美元的租金。
馬丁說:“從政府頒布禁令的那一刻起,我就決定出售房產(chǎn)。我不想應付那些不付房租且永遠擺脫不掉的房客。那會讓財務狀況變得更糟糕。”
馬丁還表示,他對向投資者出售房產(chǎn)的這個決定感到惱火。其中一個買家已經(jīng)把一套房產(chǎn)改成了公寓套房。另一個買家已經(jīng)將一棟三戶家庭的住宅租金提高了一倍。
他還補充說道:“老實說,這是一個非常艱難的決定。我希望我們這些小業(yè)主可以蓬勃發(fā)展。但由于這一禁令,一切都成為了泡影?!保ㄘ敻恢形木W(wǎng))
譯者:三疊瀑
早在2017年,瑞安·大衛(wèi)購買了三套用于出租的房產(chǎn),當時他預計每月扣除各種費用后的1000美元,可以成為退休后的固定收入來源。
大衛(wèi)在賓夕法尼亞州杜邦區(qū)也有房產(chǎn),他還指望那里的租金收入能夠彌補去年年初買賣不良房產(chǎn)造成的現(xiàn)金缺口。
然而新冠疫情突然來襲,聯(lián)邦政府和州政府出臺“暫停驅逐令”。于是,拖欠房租的房客越來越多。后來,就在他認為最壞情況要結束時,美國疾病控制與預防中心(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)宣布了一項新禁令,表示“暫停驅逐令”將延期至10月3日。8月中旬,一名聯(lián)邦法官駁回了阻止這項驅逐禁令的請求。
大衛(wèi)有個兩歲半的孩子,正在期待另一個孩子的降臨,他擔心自己被拖欠的2000美元房租很快會攀升至數(shù)千美元。
最新頒布的禁令“是壓死駱駝的最后一根稻草”,39歲的大衛(wèi)還表示,現(xiàn)在計劃賣掉這些公寓?!拔业膬?nèi)心一直來回掙扎,晚上甚至會失眠?,F(xiàn)在我決定賣掉這些房產(chǎn),然后走人?!?/p>
阿斯彭研究所(Aspen Institute)的數(shù)據(jù)顯示,自早期疫情爆發(fā)以來,大多數(shù)房客已經(jīng)不會因為拖欠房租而被驅逐,現(xiàn)在大約有1500萬以上的家庭拖欠租金,數(shù)額高達200億美元。
根據(jù)美國租賃房屋委員會(National Rental Home Council)的一項調(diào)查,大多數(shù)獨棟出租房屋的業(yè)主深受新冠疫情影響,50%的業(yè)主表示自己的租戶在疫情期間未交房租。
美國房地產(chǎn)經(jīng)紀人協(xié)會(National Association of Realtors)的數(shù)據(jù)則顯示,少于四套房產(chǎn)的小房東受到的打擊尤其嚴重,這些房東往往沒有大業(yè)主的融資,他們表示至少多達58%的房客拖欠房租。小房東被拖欠租金的情況占到全美一半以上。
不管是大房東還是小房東,都表示對“暫停驅逐令”憤怒不已,他們認為這是一項非法的禁令。許多房東認為,如果不是因為這條禁令,一些租戶本來可以支付租金。聯(lián)邦政府本來應允發(fā)放470億美元的租金援助幫助大家渡過難關,但卻遲遲沒有兌現(xiàn)。截至7月,首批租金援助250億美元中也只有30億美元到賬。
大衛(wèi)表示,兩名房客在整個新冠疫情期間均有工資收入,他們不但沒有支付房租,也沒有下功夫去申請租屋津貼。其他房東則指出很多違約租戶,明明還開著豪車、點著外賣或是去度假。
加里·扎倫巴說:“收不到租,只能退出不干了。”由于暫停驅逐租客,扎倫巴賣掉了自己在俄亥俄州的40套房產(chǎn),在剩下的百戶公寓里,仍然有四分之一的租客為支付房租而為難萬分。他表示,自己已經(jīng)幫助一些房客申請了租屋津貼。
扎倫巴稱:“這就像一家沒有顧客的餐廳。拿不到房租,也就付不起維修工的工資,于是不得不解雇他們。那么我也無法進行維修或良好維護,因此,這意味著房屋情況會變得更糟。我也交不起稅了?!?/p>
扎倫巴在紐約市也擁有幾套房產(chǎn),他把自己的一些獨棟住宅出售給了購房者,把一些多戶商業(yè)公寓樓賣給了小型投資者。
許多房東背負著數(shù)萬美元的租金損失,這些錢本應用于退休、大學基金儲蓄或是投資,他們自己也在尋求一種安全的投資方式?,F(xiàn)在,這些房東要么刷爆信用卡,要么動用儲蓄來支付房地產(chǎn)稅、雇員工資、保險費、水費和維修費等。
“我一直在想,我什么時候才能夠拿到租金?”馬修·海恩斯說,他和妻子在美國得克薩斯州的達拉斯-沃斯堡都會區(qū)擁有253套公寓,被拖欠的租金超過30萬美元。他將其中25萬美元移交給了征收機構處理。
這對夫妻自己拿出5萬美元,避免解雇7名全職雇員和3名兼職雇員。為了節(jié)省支出,海恩斯還會自己動手維修,比如修修空調(diào)或更換泳池燈具。那些投資這些房產(chǎn)的退休人員,年回報率通常在7%到9%之間,結果去年由于租戶拖欠房租,投資的兩套多戶公寓一無所獲,第三套公寓的回報率也只有3%。
“我們竭盡全力幫助那些苦不堪言的租客。我們沒有趕走任何試圖與我們合作的房客,盡管有些人已經(jīng)拖欠七、八、九個月的房租?!彼€指出,“我們還在努力做正確的事情,但變得不太現(xiàn)實?!?/p>
在紐約州北部,邁克爾·里德向一些欠租房客支付了數(shù)千美元讓他們離開后,賣掉了自己的三套房子,遏制損失。在31戶家庭中,里德已經(jīng)為其中13戶家庭支付了超過10萬美元的租金,加上2萬多美元的水費。里德自己申請了9萬美元的房屋凈值貸款,這樣可以用來支付房地產(chǎn)稅和其他賬單。8月17日,他終于收到了聯(lián)邦政府發(fā)放的9000美元租金援助,但也不過是杯水車薪。
“除了被拖欠的房租,我還損失了一大筆錢?!崩锏乱彩且幻盅嘿J款專員,這筆虧損來自于那些在紐約州賓厄姆頓和恩迪科特的欠租房客。“謝天謝地,我平常的工作收入還不錯。”
一些業(yè)主正在利用大熱的房地產(chǎn)市場,將房產(chǎn)出售給財力雄厚的投資者,他們愿意等待“暫停驅逐令”解除,或是出售給計劃買房的家庭。越來越多的買家是外地投資者或股權基金,批評人士擔心這些買家會對房屋進行翻新,然后以更高價格出售。
里德談到與他有過溝通的數(shù)十位投資者時說:“很多房東都很反感這樣。這是在做虧本買賣。大家正在退出?!?/p>
即便是那些堅持從事房地產(chǎn)業(yè)務的人也表示,禁令迫使他們改變了經(jīng)營方式。
有些房東讓公寓空置了數(shù)月之久,要么是因為沒有錢翻新,要么是因為擔心遇到拖欠租金的房客。只要禁令還在實施,有些人不會再購買任何新房產(chǎn),另一些人則只會在較富裕的社區(qū)買房。
還有一些房東正在加強篩查過程,對疫情期間長期失業(yè)或拖欠數(shù)月租金的房客進行額外審查。
里德稱:“如果有人騙走了前房東12個月、15個月或18個月的房租,那么我不會想再租給這些人?!?/p>
這可能導致驅逐禁令解除后,面臨驅逐的低收入租戶的租房選擇減少。
“這讓每個人的處境都變得更糟。尤其是對租戶來說,情況更糟,因為我們將失去負擔得起的住房?!彼顾鳌ぜs翰遜-科斯比表示,她和丈夫在密蘇里州堪薩斯城地區(qū)擁有21套公寓。
“投資者會來買下房產(chǎn)、投入資金、重新裝修,然后以更高的價格出租?!?/p>
里克·馬丁在波士頓的多切斯特有五套房產(chǎn),在賣掉兩套之前就為此苦惱不已。在賣房之前,由于禁令出臺,這位62歲老人大部分的房子空置已久,損失了數(shù)千美元的租金。
馬丁說:“從政府頒布禁令的那一刻起,我就決定出售房產(chǎn)。我不想應付那些不付房租且永遠擺脫不掉的房客。那會讓財務狀況變得更糟糕。”
馬丁還表示,他對向投資者出售房產(chǎn)的這個決定感到惱火。其中一個買家已經(jīng)把一套房產(chǎn)改成了公寓套房。另一個買家已經(jīng)將一棟三戶家庭的住宅租金提高了一倍。
他還補充說道:“老實說,這是一個非常艱難的決定。我希望我們這些小業(yè)主可以蓬勃發(fā)展。但由于這一禁令,一切都成為了泡影?!保ㄘ敻恢形木W(wǎng))
譯者:三疊瀑
When Ryan David bought three rental properties back in 2017, he expected the $1,000-a-month he was pocketing after expenses would be regular sources of income well into his retirement years.
He also was counting on the rent money from the properties in Dupont, Pennsylvania, to help with the cash flow of his business buying and selling distressed properties, launched early last year.
But then the pandemic hit and federal and state authorities imposed moratoriums on evictions. The unpaid rent began to mount. Then, just when he thought the worst was over, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a new moratorium, lasting until Oct. 3. A federal judge dismissed a legal challenge to the order in mid-August.
David, the father of a 2 1/2-year-old who is expecting another child, fears the $2,000 he's owed in back rent will quickly climb to thousands more.
The latest moratorium “was the final gut punch," said the 39-year-old, adding that he now plans to sell the apartments. “I have had this internal struggle going back and forth. I have lost sleep at night, and I have now come up with a decision to sell and walk away.”
Most evictions for unpaid rent have been halted since the early days of the pandemic and there are now more than 15 million people living in households that owe as much as $20 billion in back rent, according to the Aspen Institute.
A majority of single-family rental home owners have been impacted, according to a survey from the National Rental Home Council, and 50% say they have tenants who have missed rent during the pandemic.
Smaller landlords with fewer than four units, who often don't have the financing of larger property owners, were hit especially hard, with as many as 58% having tenants behind on rent, according to the National Association of Realtors. More than half of back rent is owed to smaller landlords.
Landlords, big and small, are most angry about the moratoriums, which they consider illegal. Many believe some tenants could have paid rent, if not for the moratorium. And the $47 billion in federal rental assistance that was supposed to make landlords whole has been slow to materialize. By July, only $3 billion of the first tranche of $25 billion had been distributed.
David points to two tenants who received paychecks throughout the pandemic but didn't pay rent or bother to file for rental assistance. Others singled out delinquent tenants who they claimed still managed to drive a luxury car, get food deliveries or go on vacation.
“Without rent, we’re out of business,” said Gary Zaremba, who sold 40 of his properties in Ohio due to the moratorium and still has a quarter of his tenants in the remaining 100 buildings struggling to pay rent. He has helped some apply for rental assistance, he said.
“It’s like a restaurant that doesn’t have patrons,” he said. “I don’t get the rent. I can’t pay my maintenance staff. I have to lay them off. I can't fix the buildings and keep them in good repair. So, that means they are going to get even worse off. I can’t pay my taxes.”
Zaremba, who also owns a handful of properties in New York City, sold some of his single-family homes to home buyers and some multi-family commercial apartment buildings to small investors.
Many landlords are saddled with tens of thousands of dollars in lost rent—money that was meant for retirement, a college fund or for their investors, who themselves had sought a safe investment. They are maxing out credit cards or dipping into savings to pay property taxes, staff salaries, insurance, water bills and maintenance.
“I keep thinking to myself, when does my family get paid?” said Matthew Haines, who owns 253 units with his wife in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and is owed more than $300,000 in back rent. He has referred $250,000 of that to collections.
The couple put in $50,000 of their own money to avoid laying off their seven full-time and three part-time employees. Haines is also doing repairs like fixing an air conditioning unit or changing a pool light himself to save money. Their investors, retirees who typically get an annual return of 7% to 9%, got nothing last year on two multifamily apartments and 3% on a third one because of unpaid rent.
“We jumped through hoops to help our residents who were struggling. We have not evicted a single person trying to work with us, even though we have people who owe us seven, eight, nine months of rent,” he said. “We are trying to do the right thing but it’s becoming impossible.”
In upstate New York, Michael Reid sold three of his houses to stem losses—after paying some delinquent tenants thousands of dollars to leave. Already out more than $100,000 in back rent on 13 of his 31 units and more than $20,000 in unpaid water bills, Reid took out a $90,000 home equity loan on his house so he could pay property taxes and other bills. On August 17, he finally received $9,000 in federal rental assistance, a fraction of what he's owed.
“I’ve lost an incredible amount of money on top of the rent owed,” said Reid, who also works as a mortgage loan officer, referring to his delinquent tenants in Binghamton and Endicott, New York. “Thank God, my day job pays pretty well.”
Some owners are taking advantage of a red-hot housing market to sell their units to deep-pocketed investors willing to wait out the moratorium or to families who plan to live in them. Buyers are increasingly out-of-town investors or equity funds, whom critics fear will renovate the properties and market them at much higher prices.
“A lot of landlords are disgusted. They are selling at losses. They are getting out period,” Reid said of the dozens of investors he talks with.
Even those sticking with the property business say the moratorium has forced them to change their operations.
Some are leaving apartments vacant for months at a time, either because they lack the money to renovate or fear being stuck with nonpaying tenants. Some aren’t buying any new properties as long as the moratorium is in place; others will only buy in wealthier neighborhoods.
Still others are bolstering their screening process and giving extra scrutiny to someone who was unemployed for long stretches during the pandemic or saddled their previous landlord with months of back rent.
“If somebody stiffed their previous landlord out of 12, 15 or 18 months rent, I don’t want to rent to them,” Reid said.
This could result in fewer places to live for low-income tenants facing eviction when the moratorium lifts.
“It makes it worse for everyone. It’s worse for tenants, in particular, because we are going to lose affordable housing,” said Stacey Johnson-Cosby, who with her husband owns 21 units in the Kansas City, Missouri, area.
“The investors are going to come. They are going buy the property, put money into it, renovate it and rent it at a higher amount."
Rick Martin anguished over just that before selling two of his five buildings in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston. Before that the 62-year-old left most of them vacant due to the moratorium, depriving him of thousands of dollars in rent.
“The minute they enacted the moratorium, that trigged my decision to sell the properties,” Martin said. “I did not want someone moving in whom I could never get rid of if they didn’t pay rent. That would make the financial situation worse.”
Martin said he was torn about the decision to sell to investors. One has turned a building into condos. Another has already doubled the rent on a three-family building.
“Honestly it’s a very difficult decision,” he said. “I want the small property owners to flourish and grow. But because of this moratorium, we are having everything cut out from beneath us.”