{"id":12892,"date":"2020-03-20T08:00:20","date_gmt":"2020-03-20T12:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/news\/?p=12892"},"modified":"2022-07-30T23:19:44","modified_gmt":"2022-07-31T03:19:44","slug":"landlord-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/landlord-covid-19","title":{"rendered":"How Landlords Can Help Tenants During COVID-19 (Letter Templates Included)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All businesses are impacted by the COVID-19 virus, and rental-housing provided by landlords big and small is no exception.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even as several Canadian provinces declare a state of emergency and the federal government imposes new and extreme measures to contain the virus, rental suite owners are facing unknown futures with tenants who may be unable to work, along with the impact of home-quarantine as well as state-imposed quarantines.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Given the unprecedented health crisis we are all facing, landlords need to consider their role in the current initiatives to \u2018flatten the curve\u2019 (reduce the spread and rate of COVID-19 infection), as well as the best practises for communicating and helping tenants in the near term and going forward.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether you run an short-term rental business, you rent out a suite in your home, you&#8217;re a small-business landlord or a larger corporate management company, here&#8217;s a list of best practices along with some key points for each type of landlord in the current rental marketplace.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to multiple industry sources, the best way to handle the current COVID-19 pandemic is through preparation, communication and proactive cleaning. To do this, consider implementing the following:&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Prepare:&nbsp;<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Create schedules and plans to limit exposure between tenants and between tenant(s) and homeowner\/landlord\/service staff. This can include closing or limiting access to shared amenity spaces, such as courtyards or laundry facilities, restricting the use of elevators.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Defer all non-essential maintenance on the property, until the virus is contained and health authorities lift the requirement for nation-wide social distancing.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Communicate:&nbsp;<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remind everyone to keep a safe distance from one another and to limit their touch points (don\u2019t touch walls or doors unnecessarily).&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have a management office, consider providing alternative ways to communicate with office or leasing staff with the aim of minimizing face to face interaction.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Promote digital interaction. For potential new tenants, show units through video tours. For all other communication, set up calendars to book online video chats (you can use <a href=\"https:\/\/youcanbook.me\/\">free scheduling apps<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/zoom.us\/\">online video chats<\/a>), and provide instructions for setting up e-transfers (rather than handing off envelopes with cheques or cash).&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Proactive:&nbsp;<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have a management office, consider providing alternative ways to communicate with office or leasing staff with the aim of minimizing face to face interaction.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increase the cleaning schedule for all shared amenities and spaces.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Distribute gloves and cleaning supplies to all tenants and staff and ask them to \u201cclean as they go.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Install or provide hand sanitizers near doors, stairwells and elevators.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Post signage promoting hand washing.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Airbnb Suite Owners<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Airbnb-make-money-Zolo.ca_.jpeg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-11834\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Airbnb-make-money-Zolo.ca_-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"Airbnb-make-money-Zolo.ca\" class=\"wp-image-11834\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Any landlord with an Airbnb suite that had reservations that were confirmed on or before March 14, 2020, can seek compensation from Airbnb under the firm\u2019s \u2018<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.airbnb.ca\/help\/article\/1320\/what-if-i-need-to-cancel-because-of-an-emergency-or-unavoidable-circumstance\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">extenuating circumstances<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019 policy.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This means any guest, who was scheduled to stay in your Airbnb suite between March 14, 2020 and April 14, 2020, and who cancels, can obtain a full refund.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a host, you may also cancel on your booked guests, during the same time-frame, without charge or impact on your Superhost status and Airbnb will refund all service fees for these cancellations.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep in mind, however, if a guest checked in prior to March 14, 2020, you and your guest are not eligible for the refund.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/make-money-from-airbnb\">Airbnb hosts<\/a> are offering \u2018<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.domain.com.au\/living\/what-airbnb-hosts-are-doing-to-ride-out-the-covid-19-crisis-940927\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">self-isolation packages<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019 \u2014 where Netflix and food delivery is just a click away \u2014 hosts in Canada are strongly encouraged not to promote travel or tourism at this point in time.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Homeowners With Rental Suites<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since the rental suite is in your home, you should already be incentivized to clean. Turns out, you are also required, as part of your landlord responsibilities, to \u201cmaintain a safe rental unit and residential property.\u201d This includes appropriate cleanliness and, in the midst of the COVID-19 public health crisis, this should include extra vigilance of cleaning routines in public areas.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consider more frequent cleaning of public and shared spaces as well as high-traffic areas. For instance, schedule handle and handrail wipedowns to be sprayed and wiped down with disinfectant at least two times per day (more, if there are more tenants or family members using communal spaces).&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Landlords (Those Who Do Not Solely Rely on Rental Income)<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/costs-of-selling-your-home-scaled.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-12894\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/costs-of-selling-your-home-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"adding up hidden costs\" class=\"wp-image-12894\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Landlords who do not live in the same premise as tenants need to implement rigorous cleaning regimes. This means more frequent cleaning of high traffic areas, such as lobbies, elevators and laundry rooms.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consider implementing schedules for the use of common areas, such as laundry rooms.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Business or Corporate Landlords<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you operate a rental business, consider implementing more structural short-term changes. For instance, require building managers and all other employees to wear gloves and carry disinfectant cleaner. Also, consider placing alcohol-based hand sanitizer in common areas to promote cleanliness. Add signs and visual reminders of how and when to clean hard surfaces and wash hands.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You may also consider asking tenants to start an online sign-up schedule to book and use laundry or dog-washing facilities. Consider closing shared facilities, such as gyms and recreation rooms.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"<b&gt;financial-help-for-landlords<\/b&gt;\"><b>Financial Help for Landlords<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/how-to-prepare-for-rising-interest-rates\/td-mortgage-rates-20180427\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-9032\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"736\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/TD-Bank-Logo-Buiding-Macleans-Zolo-1024x736.jpg\" alt=\"banks will self impose stricter guidelines for HELOCs\" class=\"wp-image-9032\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For landlords faced with a cash crunch, consider using the financial incentives and help offered by the Canadian government and Canada\u2019s big six banks (along with some mortgage mono-lenders). For instance:&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Talk to your bank or lender to see if you qualify for a mortgage payment deferral. This deferral could extend for as long as six months and enable landlords (and tenants) to recover from financial set back prompted by the coronavirus.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Apply for wage subsidies, such as EI sickness benefits, EI for temporary lay-offs and wage support for self-employed Canadians (both of which will be available starting April 2020).&nbsp;<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Take advantage of the extended tax payment deadlines that allow you to postpone paying taxes owed until after August 31, 2020. No penalties or interest will accrue on these deferred amounts.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you employ people as part of your rental business, explore the $10 billion credit facility program the federal government offers. The money is earmarked to help lend money to businesses under stress as a result of the spreading COVID-19 pandemic.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li><li>If you pay utilities, contact your local provider. Many utility companies will allow you to defer payments or set up payment plans to reduce the burden of utility bills. If you&#8217;re really struggling, consider applying for a utility grant. While not all provider offer this option, it allows you to get access to free money (a grant) that helps pay outstanding utility fees.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"<b&gt;help-your-tenants<\/b&gt;\"><b>Help Your Tenants<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regardless of how your rental business is structured, it\u2019s time to help.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are eligible for either the mortgage payment deferral program through your bank or mortgage lender or you qualify for aid through the recently announced federal government small business financial plan, then pass this help down to your tenants. Where possible, offer your tenants a rent deferral for a month or more. If a full rent deferral is not possible, consider a partial reduction.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While full relief from all payments is challenging, due to ongoing expenses, such as water, gas, hydro and building maintenance (all costs that could increase in the coming weeks and months), it\u2019s critical to communicate with your tenants and for everyone to work together in order to get&nbsp; through this coronavirus crisis.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To <\/span><b>start the conversation with your tenant<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> use this <strong>template letter: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Landlords-Initial-Letter-to-Tenants-COVID-19.pdf\">Landlords &#8211; Initial Letter to Tenants &#8211; COVID-19<\/a><\/strong><\/span><strong>.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>If you have a more defined soluti<\/b><strong>o<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>n<\/strong>, consider using this <\/span><b>template letter: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/TEMPLATE-LETTER_-For-landlords-offering-to-help-tenants-during-the-COVID-19-crisis.pdf\">Landlords offering to help tenants during the COVID-19 crisis<\/a><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"<b&gt;what-to-do-if-a-tenant-has-or-may-have-covid-19?<\/b&gt;\"><b>What to Do if a Tenant Has or May Have COVID-19?<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No matter what type of tenant you may have or what type of landlord category you fall into, remember to be proactive. If there is a presumed or confirmed case of COVID-19 within your rental suite, immediately contact local public health authorities. Do not provide personal information to any tenant, instead, give all information to public health authorities; it is their responsibility to reach out to any other tenant that may have come into contact with the individual.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"<strong&gt;where-to-get-up-to-date-information<\/strong&gt;\"><strong>Where to Get Up-To-Date Information<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/emergencies\/diseases\/novel-coronavirus-2019\/events-as-they-happen\">World Health Organization<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/health-canada.html\">Health Canada<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ontario.ca\/page\/2019-novel-coronavirus\">Ontario (provincial health &amp; wellness)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bccdc.ca\/health-info\/diseases-conditions\/covid-19\">BC Centre for Disease Control<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.vch.ca\/about-us\/news\/vancouver-coastal-health-statement-on-coronavirus\">Vancouver Coastal Health<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.alberta.ca\/coronavirus-info-for-albertans.aspx\">Alberta Public Health<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.saskatchewan.ca\/government\/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources\/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines\/emerging-public-health-issues\/2019-novel-coronavirus\">Saskatchewan Public Health<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The coronavirus pandemic will impact virtually every financial sector in Canada. As a landlord, it&#8217;s time to take stock of what you need to do to protect your rental property while figuring out how to help your tenants. For most, it starts with a letter (or phone call)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7955,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"guide":[],"class_list":["post-12892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-trends"],"acf":[],"zolo_excerpt":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12892","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12892"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12892\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21865,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12892\/revisions\/21865"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7955"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12892"},{"taxonomy":"guide","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/guide?post=12892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}