COVID-19 created a perfect storm for landlords, many of whom were thrown curveball after curveball, requiring them to adjust on the fly for their renters. The most challenging part for a landlord during the pandemic has not been the inability to collect rent, but the ongoing duty to maintain the property and to control emotions brought on by the pandemic.
Landlords’ obligations were not put on hold during the pandemic, but COVID made it more difficult to fulfill them. Even if tenants are unable to, or refuse to pay rent, landlords are still required to manage tenant disputes, assure tenants’ ordinary safety – and extraordinary safety when and if a tenant contracted the virus – and maintain the property when many building-maintenance services were closed or limited.