Dawn Ouellette Nixon//May 1, 2020
Pennsylvania’s Attorney General Josh Shapiro is urging landlords across the state to not begin any new eviction proceedings until at least July 15.
As courts prepare to reopen, including those that handle evictions, Shapiro sent a letter to landlords to protect Pennsylvanians facing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter called on them to:
Jason Pryor, a Pennsylvania-based landlord with a rental property in Easton, sees both the possible positive and negative effects of postponing evictions due to nonpayment. “It all makes sense on the surface,” he said. “It is the responsibility of those with means to recognize the struggles of others. But at the same time, money trickles up, not down.”
Pryor said that it is important for people to remember that landlords also have mortgages to pay and many rely on rental income to pay those bills.
“A capitalist culture relies on hard work, determination and grit to get things done,” he said. “We are now seeing the limitations of that.”