California renters in fear: Late fees and evictions will be enforced

California renters in fear:  Late fees and evictions will be enforced
mr1
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COVID 19: Eat or pay rent. You must pay your rent on time – or else! California tenant urged to evaluate rent, utilities, or food.

Is the approach to threaten tenants an emerging new trend set by national real-estate and property management companies Marshall Reddik in California yesterday? It happened hours after the Golden State was locked down by order of California Governor Gavin Newsom.

Jon C , a member of the travel and tourism industry and eTN reader has been renting an apartment in a residential neighborhood on Bay Street in Santa Monica, California for several years. The monthly rent for his 2 bedroom apartment is $4860.00.

His next rent payment will be due April 1. He pays his rent to Marshall Reddick , a nationwide property management company and real estate broker licensed in many U.S. States

Paying rent on April 1 will not be an issue for Jon C, but the future looks grim for everyone in the world. The State of California was locked down since yesterday, business came to a standstill to stop the threat of COVID-19. 

Property management companies may have legitimate concerns in the future to collect rent on time. These are challenging times.

Therefore eleven days before the rent is due for April 1, tenants in apartments managed by Marshall Reddick already received an intimidating warning to pay rent on time or they would face penalties and eviction.  

All of this happens while US President Trump, State Governments and local jurisdictions assure renters relief if necessary. Marshall Reddick has an A+ rating with the BBB and mostly positive reviews on Yelp and other social media networks.

California renters in fear:  Late fees and evictions will be enforced
Tenants in this building in Santa Monica, California threatened to pay rent on time or else….

Marshall Reddick wanted tenants to know: “Please note that rent is expected to be paid next month as usual. Late fees and evictions will also be enforced.” 

Here is the email message sent to tenant Jon-Paul C by Marshall Reddick on March 19:

Dear Valued Resident,

We hope you are doing well and remaining in good health during these arduous times. It is very important to remember that the roof over our heads is as important as the food in our fridge and the gas in our car. Just as we are all expected to pay for food in the grocery store and gas at the pump, rent is expected to be paid to have a roof over our heads.

Please note that rent is expected to be paid next month as usual. Late fees and evictions will also be enforced.

We want to encourage everyone to prioritize their expenditures starting with rent, utilities, and food.  Every Americanโ€™s income is being affected right now, but as with all things in time this will pass with better times ahead. We encourage you to check FEMAโ€™s website page designated for California Covid-19 for updates on resources and aid: https://www.fema.gov/disaster/3428

We are committed to servicing your maintenance requests as needed, and know that our staff is available to provide support. Thank you for doing your part.

Sincerely,
Marshall Reddick Team
www.marshallreddick.com

When Jon C responded on March 20, the CEO/Broker toned back in apologizing:

Jon,

You are absolutely 100% correct in your response, and I agree with you.  The email you received was deplorable and should not have happened. 

The initial message that was sent out was thoughtless, insensitive, and had no empathy to the global crisis that every human in the world is experiencing.  

It was written from a place of worry, fear, and uncertainty, that did not consider how it would affect others receiving the message with the same worries and uncertainties going on in their lives.

Within hours of being sent out, the message was revised, and protocol was put in place to ensure that future messages being sent out during these scary and rapidly changing times need to be reviewed by multiple people and approved by multiple people to ensure that we are not adding to the chaos that is going on in the world right now and that we can do our part in helping others and contributing positively.  

However, I do not feel that is enough to make up for this mistake.  I am personally calling every tenant for each property we manage to apologize for the letter that was sent out yesterday, so that everyone can receive the proper apology they deserve.

While I know this wonโ€™t undo the mistake that was made, I recognize we are all humans in this together.  We are a small privately owned property management business and we truly cherish all of those who make our work possible, whether you are a tenant, landlord, maintenance vendor, etcโ€ฆ. All humans are in a state of panic and fear which can sometimes cause poor decisions.  Humans make mistakes.  I am so sorry you were on the receiving end of this mistake.  You, nor any other person affected by this, did not deserve this negative condescending message, and for that I am sincerely sorry. 

I will be calling you from (949) 885-XXXX.

Sincerely, 
Ross Nelson
CEO / Broker
Marshall Reddick 
Real Estate | Property Management | Private Lending

Interview with  Marshall Reddick in 2013:

https://youtu.be/YWa6NnhniW0

America is upside down. The future of the economy is in question. No one knows what the future may bring.

Perhaps it’s time for all of us to take a deep breath and watch the following video. It’ll be worth our time:

About the author

Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1977).
He founded eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

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