jriddle@thealpenanews.com
News Photo by Julie Riddle
Joe Schell, rental specialist with Up North Property Service in Alpena, looks through paperwork required from renters when they move into a rental property. Coronavirus-related eviction moratoriums have helped keep renters in their homes but put a strain on landlords when their tenants can’t pay.
ALPENA If rent doesn’t get paid, renters could be the ones who suffer.
Since March, eviction moratoriums at the state and national level have protected Michiganders from losing their homes because of unpaid rent as the coronavirus pandemic stole jobs and wrecked bank accounts.
The moratoriums help prevent homelessness, but they also endanger landlords who have no recourse when their tenants don’t pay, said Victoria Purvis, director of homeless and prevention services with Northeast Michigan Community Service Agency.