As the pandemic swept the globe and left entire communities sheltering at home to slow its spread, hundreds upon thousands have found themselves without a way to work and pay their bills. But for a handful of residents in Montclair, New Jersey, a particularly empathetic landlord has made sure that there’s no added stress in their lives by canceling rent for the next three months.
David Placek, a 39-year-old father of three who serves as landlord to about a dozen renters in Montclair, made the decision to cancel rent first through April and May when he looked around and saw how seriously people were struggling with the virus crisis.
He and his wife, Bridget, sent out an email to their tenants on March 18th, explaining that health and well-being came before anything else during times like these.
When asked by NJ Advance Media why the couple opted to cancel rent entirely for what amounts to a quarter of the year, Placek explained that it was something meaningful that he and his family would be able to do in order to help everyone out during a tough time.
“We should all do our part, and it’s something we can do. It provides a little bit of good news to people in a world where there’s no good news, and I think that’s meaningful,” Placek said. “The idea was just, let’s relieve some stress from our tenants.”
Placek understood that not every landlord was in a financial situation that would enable them to waive payments entirely like this, but explained that he felt it was important to show a bit of compassion when in a financial position to do so. Given the mortgage relief that property owners have been shown in the state of New Jersey during the crisis, it was important in his eyes to pay that forward for his tenants.
In return, Placek isn’t asking for any direct favors or thank-yous from the tenants he’s helping out. But in the email he and his wife sent out to all of the tenants waiving rent, he did ask that those who were able pay it forward and buy either goods or gift cards from local Montclair businesses to keep them afloat.
“We know not every property owner can do what we’re able to do, but we are. The dollar amounts, although meaningful, are something we can live without for a few months,” he said.
“Everyone is so helpless. If you want to help in this current crisis, it’s hard to help,” he added. “When there’s enough community support to see something through, though, you can make it happen.”
