Bible guidance on Coronavirus late rent payments

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Bible guidance on Coronavirus late rent payments

Doug Heim
Real Estate Agent · Sunny Isles Beach, FL · Member since 2019 · 10 posts · 5 votes

I'd be interested if anyone else has any Bible wisdom that relates to being a landlord.

I've fixed up and rented three properties in the last three years and so far things have gone smoothly.  I recently starting thinking about what to do if one of my tenants has problems paying the rent due to the Coronavirus and job layoffs.  When I woke up this morning the answer came to me.  If a tenant loses his (or her) job and can't pay the rent, I will tell him to pay me what he can afford, and the remainder for that month will be forgiven.  I will also tell him in these times of need to do a good deed for his neighbor so that my generosity continues.  A month later, if he should come back and say he still doesn't have a job and can't pay the rent, I will ask him what good deed he did for his neighbor the past month.  If he can recount a good deed, I will tell him to pay me what he can afford, and the remainder for that month will be forgiven.  If he cannot recount a good deed, I will evict him as soon as is legally possible and re-rent my property to a more deserving tenant.

I based this guidance on a parable from Matthew 18:23-34:

because the Kingdom of heaven is like this.  Once there was a king who decided to check on his servants' accounts.  He had just begun to do so when one of them was brought in who owed him millions of dollars.  The servant did not have enough to pay his debt, so the king ordered him to be sold as a slave, with his wife and his children and all that he had, in order to pay the debt.  The servant fell on his knees before the king.  'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay you everything!'  The king felt sorry for him, so he forgave him the debt and let him go.  Then the man went out and met one of his fellow servants who owed him a few dollars.  He grabbed him and started choking him.  'Pay back what you owe me!' he said.  His fellow servant fell down and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back!'  But he refused; instead, he had him thrown into jail until he should pay the debt.  When the other servants saw what had happened, they were very upset and went to the king and told him everything.  So he called the servant in.  'You worthless slave!' he said.  'I forgave you the whole amount you owed me, just because you asked me to.  You should have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you.'  The king was very angry, and he sent the servant to jail to be punished until he should pay back the whole amount.

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  • Ryan Allen
    Saratoga Springs, NY · Member since 2017 · 30 posts · 14 votes
    6y

    I think it's very hard to mix charity and business, although I share the empathy you feel towards tenants. This is a parable and if you look at Matthew 18:35 it says "So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart." You'll see it is about forgiveness. This parable, The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, is not exactly an instruction on charity or how to do business but rather about forgiveness. 

    That being said, here are a few bible verses that seem to apply.

    Matthew 6:1-4 -
    “[But] take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites* do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

    Matthew 25:35-36

    For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.

    Galatians 2:10

    Only, we were to be mindful of the poor,* which is the very thing I was eager to do.

    1 Timothy 6:18

    Tell them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, ready to share

    1 John 3:17-18

    If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him?l Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.

    I encourage you to read the surrounding verses as well to get a better understanding because I just picked out a couple verses. Clearly we are called to be charitable, and there are many more that do so. You may feel called to eliminate or lower rent payments, and that is okay.


    From a business point of view, your rental income is business and mixing that with charity could put the idea into the minds of tenants that you are willing to forgive some or all of the money owed at any time. Once they know you are capable and willing they will most likely push your charity and abuse that kind act.

    Now, sympathizing with the tenant is understandable and if I were to inclined to lower or eliminate their rent for the month it would need to be a great tenant with a great history. You also are trying to force them to do a charitable act and if you are going to do an act of charity, do it without strings attached. Make it known that it is due to a special circumstance, the corona virus.

    If they come to you and express difficulty with meeting the rent payments, that is a better situation for you than if you pre-preemptively ask them (not sure how you are thinking of knowing when/if they get laid off). Again, an unfortunate situation like a loss of a job is very sad and definitely a good time for you to be charitable. I would be willing to work with a good tenant who has reliability paid on time in order to keep them. Whether that be outright forgiveness, or spread out the cost of rent over the remaining life of the loan - there are many options and a lot of it depends on the circumstances.

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  • Account Closed
    Rental Property Investor · Brooke Park Drive · Member since 2018 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    6y

    Plant an apple tree in the front yard, but put in the lease if the tenant ever eats from the forbidden apple tree they will be evicted 

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