Coronavirus: email to send to your tenants

Coronavirus: email to send to your tenants

Rental Property Investor · Ottawa, ON · Member since 2019 · 68 posts · 225 votes

I got a lot of questions on my Instagram yesterday about the email we wrote to our tenants addressing this outbreak so I decided to include the letter we wrote here in case it helps anybody :) I think a lot of landlords are struggling with coming up with the right words to explain how they’re willing to help but not to take advantage of them at the same time lol

****

NOTE: this is a Canadian version so you’ll have to edit it for the US.

*********

Hello,

We have been continuing to monitor the situation surrounding COVID-19. We are sending an email to all our tenants to address any job layoffs or lack of funds caused by this outbreak.

We understand these are unprecedented times and that a lot of people may be confused and uncertain, especially when thinking of their financial stability. If you are experiencing financial issues due to this situation, we recommend staying up to date with the several government programs offering financial aid to those in need and to apply as soon as they become available.

If you are directly affected by the COVID-19 because you are sick or quarantined and you have not yet applied for EI benefits, please submit your application as soon as possible. We've included the link for more information: (link)

If you are still worried of not being able to pay next month's rent or any future rents and have exhausted all your options through borrowing from family members or other, we ask that you please send us an email prior to the rent's due date explaining your situation along with proper documentation. At that point we will assess and come up with a plan together. 

In the meantime, we would also like to inform you that due to isolation requirements, any maintenance request will need to be postponed until further notice, unless of a major issue. 

We want to sincerely thank those who are working hard within the essential services of our community and to all others who are staying home to help avoid the spread. 

Our best wishes to you and your families. 

Rob & Nat

54Reply
509 views

Most Popular Reply

Peoria, IL · Member since 2013 · 967 posts · 383 votes
6y

I probably need to think of a response.  But I'm gonna wait for them to come to me. 

vs.  me communicating to tenants i guess you might not have my rent. 

See this reply in the discussion

160 Replies

Jump to latestLatest
  • Peoria, IL · Member since 2013 · 967 posts · 383 votes
    6y

    I probably need to think of a response.  But I'm gonna wait for them to come to me. 

    vs.  me communicating to tenants i guess you might not have my rent. 

  • Rental Property Investor · Red Bank, NJ · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    6y

    That is nice... 

    I rent to grown-ups, my tenants know who to call when they have a problem.

  • Member since 2020 · 2 posts · 27 votes
    6y

    Yeah why am I going to invite my tenants to take advantage. We will know soon enough if they will continue to pay rent or play games. 

    I'm smack dab in the middle of a possible eviction where I have served a 60 day notice to vacate. Then this bullcrap excuse wagon rolls into town.

  • Peoria, IL · Member since 2013 · 967 posts · 383 votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Account Closed:

    Asking tenants to ask or go get rent from from family is so INsensitive.   Completely opposite of Humane.

    Any attempt  to Making yourself whole is anything but Humane. Its the G word.

     Not sure I'm following you.  Are you saying that you should let them live rent free in your rental instead of the renter seeking money from friends & family? While you as a landlord still have to pay your bills? If this is the case, I'm willing to move into one of your rentals please.  preferably a rental where utilities are included.  i like to have the ac running as much as possible in the summer with the fresh air from the windows being open.  extremely refreshing lol ha! 

  • Property Manager · Santa Rosa, CA · Member since 2019 · 31 posts · 35 votes
    6y

    @Natalie Cloutier Great letter. I started off taking a hard line with a couple of my tenants this week that just notified me of not being able to pay this coming months rent but now see that I will most likely encourage my 200 plus clients who’s properties I manage to work with their tenants so as to avoid losing a good tenant, avoid wasting time and money in legal fees on a tenant that they’ll be stuck in court with for who knows how. My thought was to determine what exactly each owner really needs to break even and work from their as a starting to get the tenant to pay as a minimum with the idea that they pay the difference over time in hopes of catching up at some point. The way I see it something is better than nothing. I’m definitely going to plagiarize parts of your letter to notify my tenants that I am truly supportive of them and will not abandon them if they will do their part to make an effort. Thanks for your input and perspective. Sincerely, Maurice

  • Rental Property Investor · Ottawa, ON · Member since 2019 · 68 posts · 225 votes
    6y

    @Gina Sgroa all depends on how you see it. We took this info from Brandon Turner’s suggestion on his podcast. We got great feedback from our tenants already so I think you’re overreacting a tad ;)

  • Rental Property Investor · Ottawa, ON · Member since 2019 · 68 posts · 225 votes
    6y

    @Patrick M. so why did you comment? Lol i posted this to help those who wanted to reach out.

  • Rental Property Investor · Ottawa, ON · Member since 2019 · 68 posts · 225 votes
    6y

    @Maurice Selva im glad you found some of this useful :) thank you for being kind!

  • Kenneth GarrettPro Member
    Investor · Florida Panhandle/Illinois · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    6y

    @Natalie Cloutier

    Your email is thoughtful and compassionate considering the times were in.  It still says rent is due and offers other sources to use that might help the tenant.  I am following Brandon Turners method of emergency rent reduction program. Lets all have some some passion as at times we all need help in our life.

  • Rental Property Investor · Ottawa, ON · Member since 2019 · 68 posts · 225 votes
    6y

    @Kirk R. I understand your debate! We debated the same but we got really positive responses from our tenants with our email. They understood our position

  • Rental Property Investor · Ottawa, ON · Member since 2019 · 68 posts · 225 votes
    6y

    @Kenneth Garrett oh I didn’t see this one! I’ll go check it out. Thanks :)

  • Rental Property Investor · The Vampire State · Member since 2013 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Account Closed:

    Asking tenants to ask or go get rent from from family is so INsensitive.   Completely opposite of Humane.

    Any attempt  to Making yourself whole is anything but Humane. Its the G word.

     I would think collecting rent so you can pay your rental property taxes, insurance, operating costs and debt service counts as "making yourself whole", eh?  Or are you suggesting we dip into our own household income to pay those bills?

  • Rental Property Investor · MI · Member since 2019 · 192 posts · 205 votes
    6y

    @Patrick M.

    I thought the very same thing at first BUT tenants are smart and I don’t want them to ASSUME that their rent obligation is on hold due to the Virus so I reached out first letting them know that rent is still due on the first, however, reach out to me if need be.

  • Rental Property Investor · MI · Member since 2019 · 192 posts · 205 votes
    6y

    @Natalie Cloutier

    Good post. I reached out to my tenants first because I didn’t want to not receive rent then contact them asking for rent and have them say, “ I can’t pay rent........” and just ASSUME I knew why they can’t pay. Then I would be livid because of the LACK of communication on their end. So I thought I’d be proactive to keep my blood pressure down lol. I’m big on communication.

  • Rental Property Investor · Ottawa, ON · Member since 2019 · 68 posts · 225 votes
    6y

    @E.S. Burrell that was our exact thought process as well!! :)

  • Member since 2020 · 65 posts · 13 votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Bryan Soth:

    Yeah why am I going to invite my tenants to take advantage. We will know soon enough if they will continue to pay rent or play games. 

    I'm smack dab in the middle of a possible eviction where I have served a 60 day notice to vacate. Then this bullcrap excuse wagon rolls into town.

     I feel for you Bryan...

    I also wouldn't volunteer the option for tenants to delay paying rent.

  • Member since 2020 · 65 posts · 13 votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Natalie Cloutier:

    I got a lot of questions on my Instagram yesterday about the email we wrote to our tenants addressing this outbreak so I decided to include the letter we wrote here in case it helps anybody :) I think a lot of landlords are struggling with coming up with the right words to explain how they’re willing to help but not to take advantage of them at the same time lol

    ****

    NOTE: this is a Canadian version so you’ll have to edit it for the US.

    *********

    Hello,

    We have been continuing to monitor the situation surrounding COVID-19. We are sending an email to all our tenants to address any job layoffs or lack of funds caused by this outbreak.

    We understand these are unprecedented times and that a lot of people may be confused and uncertain, especially when thinking of their financial stability. If you are experiencing financial issues due to this situation, we recommend staying up to date with the several government programs offering financial aid to those in need and to apply as soon as they become available.

    If you are directly affected by the COVID-19 because you are sick or quarantined and you have not yet applied for EI benefits, please submit your application as soon as possible. We've included the link for more information: (link)

    If you are still worried of not being able to pay next month's rent or any future rents and have exhausted all your options through borrowing from family members or other, we ask that you please send us an email prior to the rent's due date explaining your situation along with proper documentation. At that point we will assess and come up with a plan together. 

    In the meantime, we would also like to inform you that due to isolation requirements, any maintenance request will need to be postponed until further notice, unless of a major issue. 

    We want to sincerely thank those who are working hard within the essential services of our community and to all others who are staying home to help avoid the spread. 

    Our best wishes to you and your families. 

    Rob & Nat

     Hi fellow Ottawa landlords :)

    I agree the email is very compassionate. Although smaller landlords may have cash flow problems ourselves if rent is missed for extended period of time, especially if our own day jobs are at risk. It is critical for tenants to be aware of that as well.

    I also think it is important as part of the tenant screening process to ensure the tenant has some cash cushion and not just living from pay cheque to pay cheque.

  • Rental Property Investor · Ottawa, ON · Member since 2019 · 68 posts · 225 votes
    6y

    @Paul Zhang

    Hi Paul :)

    I agree with you. I also think every email or discussion you want to have with your tenants depends completely on your market, your relationship with them, your own financial situation, etc etc. This is new grounds for everyone so everyone’s gotta do what they think is best :)

  • Rental Property Investor · Newport, RI · Member since 2015 · 72 posts · 48 votes
    6y

    @Natalie Cloutier Interesting take on this by being proactive with the letter. Personally, I am going to wait and see what does or doesn't come in for rent in April and see if any of my tenants reach out directly with issues on payment. I have a good working business relationship with all my tenants, I'm pretty small time (12 units), so they know me and I know them by name and face. Everybody has a lot going on right now and individuals have to work through this, some will be fine, others may see a reduction in income and may have an issue coming up with rent, at which time I will work with them individually to come to a mutually beneficial solution whether that be accepting partial rent, utilizing a portion of the security deposit, or coming up with a payment plan. Each situation will be different. Good luck! 

  • Rental Property Investor · Cambridge Ohio · Member since 2019 · 34 posts · 8 votes
    6y

    @Patrick M.

    You have 2 small multi-families. You must be the man 👍🏻 I bet they all love you so much 😊

  • Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    6y

    @Natalie Cloutier

    Excellent email, I scheduled the below text to all my tenants a couple days back. Some who are still on the fence may find use in some of it’s language. A little more casual in tone and I plan on following it up with an email. GoC call centre is overwhelmed currently, assuming safety measures are followed in person Service Canada locations may be quicker. I suspect we’re on mandatory provincial quarantine where I’m at by Friday, and I do feel it’s possible for a countrywide quarantine in the next 10 days as well.

    The text:

    Morning ________,

    Just wanted to fire a quick note saying I hope you’re okay and if you need anything let me know. I’m going to try and compile some info on the government programs in case you need it. Details are changing hourly but I will send some along shortly.

    One thing I would suggest doing regardless of your financial situation is signing up for the CRA online “my account” setup. This allows auto deposit for tax refunds and/ or ei payments. Worth noting that when you sign up for that they snail mail you a PIN number for

    log in, meaning it’ll still take a week or more to get it active. And I could absolutely see Canada post shutting down some non-essential services if things get worse. If you need me, I’m here to help.

    Stay safe & be well.

  • Rental Property Investor · Seattle, WA · Member since 2017 · 383 posts · 248 votes
    6y

    @Natalie Cloutier - thank you for posting this, I am certainly going to lift some of the language in my letter to our tenants. My question is on @Brandon Turner's ERDP - that he explained in his video - it seems that he's going to add the addendum to the lease (makes sense) but then amortize it over the next year - starting in a month. What happens if my tenant's lease is up in June? Is the deficit due at move-out?  Or is it amortized over the rest of the lease? My rentals are in Tacoma, Wa - we now have a stay on evictions for 1 mo (which most likely will be extended) due to non-payment only. Most if not all of my tenants are gig workers who I know will be affected. None of them have reached out, yet.

  • Rental Property Investor · Red Bank, NJ · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    6y

    @Jason Butts someone else was saying that to me the other day on here! He bragged that he had 100 units... funny thing is - he was only brining in less than $3k more then me a month!

    Definitely working harder and not smarter then me!

    And I am a landlord- I don't need to be loved by my tenants... some of you guys make this so paternalistic! I fulfill my responsibilities, they fulfill theirs. If there is a problem with that then we talk. It is what grownups do.

  • Member since 2020 · 10 posts · 0 votes
    6y
  • Rental Property Investor · Ottawa, ON · Member since 2019 · 68 posts · 225 votes
    6y

    @Christen G. Hi Christen, that’s tough! Ask them how much they can pay on April 1st (half maybe?) and then tell them the balance would be due in May or maybe do a bi weekly payment plan with them? It might take a bit of creativity and discussion but I would definitely have all of this in writing (we do all our communication via email unless of an emergency and our tenants are ok with this). Im assuming you also took a deposit equal to the last month’s rent when they moved in? If so then it’s not bad if they just pay April’s rent in May and they won’t also have to owe May’s rent you know? Depends of the procedures and laws are in your area.

Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.