The St Louis Contrarian

Providing Independent and Intelligent Insight on St. Louis Public Policy Issues

Archive for the tag “landlords”

05 May 2021

Moratorium on Evictions

A federal court has stopped the federal moratorium on evictions during covid. This was an expected decision. I have never known how you could pass a moratorium on evictions that nullified a contract between the landlord and tenant and deprived the landlord of their property rights under the constitution. If the goal was to prevent evictions, then the landlord needed to be made whole in each case with payment. Many of these tenants arrears have nothing to do with covid and others face eviction for damaging the unit or drug use; not non payment of rent. Others were behind on their rent before covid. The court made a sensible decision. Written by Paul Dribin

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19 Dec 2020

Coronavirus and Evictions

All evidence shows that we are facing a huge volume of evictions caused by the economic decline related to the coronavirus. Some people urge moratoriums on evictions. The problem with this policy if that landlords are denied rent payments, they will suffer a significant loss of income and face foreclosure on their loans. The answer is simple, the government should make rent payments on behalf of eligible renters. This will solve the problem and not punish landlords. Written by Paul Dribin

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01 Dec 2020

Tenant’s Rights During Pandemic

There is broad support for providing a moratorium on evictions during the covid period. I am all for that with the following caveats. First the individual must have been current on their rent before coronavirus hit. Second, landlords must also be taken care of. If people don’t pay rent, landlords can’t make mortgage payments. Please keep these principles in mind. Written by Paul Dribin

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18 Sep 2017

Landlord Lockouts

Tony Messenger had a good article in the Post today about a subject of which I had been aware but needed reminding. That is a situation that is common in St. Louis and probably elsewhere; landlord lockouts and illegal evictions.

What happens is that a tenant who is behind on their rent discovers their apartment is padlocked and they cannot gain entry. A second scenario might involve their possessions being put on the sidewalk. These intimidation techniques often result in the tenant leaving on their own and forfeiting their security deposit. Of course in Missouri as in all states there is a judicial process which involves a court hearing if the tenant requests it.

In St. Louis such actions are not criminal offenses. The board of aldermen is attempting to pass an ordinance criminalizing this behavior. I would like to see huge fines imposed on landlords in these situations for their greedy behavior. Ironically, the courts will always rule in the landlord’s favor if the tenant is behind on their rent. Most landlords, particularly the larger ones do not engage in this behavior. Written by Paul Dribin

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