LETTER: Eviction moratorium a burden for landlords

Victor Joecks’ Friday column illustrates the insanity of the government’s pandemic policies as they interfere with our free enterprise system. Protecting renters from eviction is noble, but just passing the pain of the shutdown to property owners is completely unjust.

Any experienced property manager will tell you that once a tenant owes a month or more of rent, the tenant, no matter how well-meaning, won’t be able to make up the unpaid balance. Experienced managers will skip legal action and make it attractive for the tenant to find more suitable and affordable housing and eat the loss when they realize the tenant can’t pay.

The laughable $1,400 government payment is not going to make landlords or tenants whole at this late date. Property owners are going to be left to eat the $5,600 average loss caused by the government’s action.