Throughout the world, many people, particularly those in the service industries, are facing financial uncertainty as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Now, one landlord has suspended rent for his tenants during the pandemic and has taken to social media to encourage others to do the same.
The landlord in question is Nathan Nichols, 46, from Maine, who has two groups of tenants living in his properties in Portland. They work hourly jobs, and he quickly realized that they would be detrimentally affected financially by the pandemic.
This man explains his symptoms of coronavirus:In an interview with People, Nichols said: "I have two units and one of the units there is a young family who have a one or two-year-old child. They're on a single income and I know that they're really living on the edge.
"My other tenants are millennials who work at some venues and I knew they would also be impacted."
This woman told her granddad she's engaged through the window during coronavirus:"My thinking was, they might not be able to pay rent," he continues. "If they're not making any money, they can't pay me. It's not like they're going to somehow magically get money if they're not working."
So, Nichols took to Facebook to explain that he would be suspending rent in a post that has since been shared 24K times at the time of writing.
"COVID19 is going to cause serious financial hardship for service and hourly workers around the country," Nichols wrote. "Because I have the good fortune of being able to afford it and the privilege of being in the owner class, I just let them know I would not be collecting rent in April.
"I ask any other landlords out there to take a serious look at your own situation and consider giving your tenants some rent relief as well."
Hopefully, Nichols' kindness will inspire other landlords to follow suit so that renters have a weight off their shoulders during this difficult time.
