Coronavirus: New Jersey landlord waives rental fees for three months

MONTCLAIR, N.J. — Renters are naturally concerned about making payments during the coronavirus pandemic, as stay-at-home orders have kept many workers at home wondering how to make ends meet.

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One landlord in New Jersey has made the burden easier, waiving payment for three months, NJ.com reported.

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David Placek, who owns 12 properties in Montclair, notified renters March 18 that rental fees would be waived for April and May. He later extended that relief to include June, the website reported.

“We hope to reduce your stress and anxiety by waiving all rent due for months of April and May. To be clear, you do not need to remit rent for these two months,” Placek’s original email to tenants read.

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The properties Placek, the managing partner of BDP Holdings, rents cost between $1,200 and $1,500 per month, WABC reported. That will cost Placek approximately $50,000 in rental income, WPIX reported.

“Candidly, there’s still stress today,” Placek told WPIX. “When am I going to get my job back? Is it going to be there when I get back. Why not eliminate all that stress if you can? Just why not rather than why would we?”

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According to census data, approximately 35 percent of New Jersey residents are renters. While New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy ordered a stay on mortgage payments for 90 days, renters were not given the same break, NJ.com reported.

Murphy publicly thanked Placek during a news conference Saturday, according to WPIX.

“Certainly not every landlord is in a position do the same,” said Murphy, who also gave a shout-out to Placek on Twitter. "But David exemplifies the spirit we need to see right now. "

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In his original email, Placek urged renters to use some of the money that they save by either buying gift cards to support local businesses or to donate to Toni’s Kitchen, an organization working to provide food to community members.

Placek said he hopes his gesture will catch on with other landlords around the state. He told WABC he felt he had to do something to relieve his tenants’ stress.

“It’s hard to help, you can’t go physically do a lot of things, you probably don’t have the financial resources to write a check, so what can you do?” Placek told the television station.

In Placek’s case, show some compassion.

“By and large we’ve gotten a good reception from our tenants," Placek told WPVI. "They’re happy that we were able to do this early on and really able to show them some compassion and feelings for what they might be going through.

“We didn’t ask them what financial position they’re in.”