Since early in the pandemic, we have heard countless stories of the hardships faced by renters due to the lockdowns. Thrown out of work, many tenants were unable to pay their rent. In response, the federal government, along with many state and local governments, imposed eviction moratoriums. We heard virtually nothing about the hardships that the moratoriums have imposed on landlords. They are the forgotten victims of the lockdowns.
One example is Sheanna and Karl Rogers, a California couple who rented a garage apartment to an acquaintance. The apartment was located behind a house that the couple used to house and care for individuals with mental illness. Initially, the renter posed no problems. But soon, he was throwing garbage into the yard and screaming at the Rogers’ clients. When the tenant assaulted a client with a crowbar, the couple filed to evict the renter.
More than a year later, and just weeks before the pandemic reached America, the court finally issued an eviction order and the tenant had until April 1 to move out. And then Almeda County, California, officials imposed an eviction moratorium. The tenant lived in the apartment rent free for the next eighteen months and continued to harass clients.
In September 2021 the Rogers had reached the breaking point and closed their business. The Pacific Legal Foundation has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the eviction moratoriums. Unfortunately, it is too late to prevent Sheanna and Karl from joining the list of the forgotten victims of the lockdowns.
Government officials are quick to point out the beneficiaries of their immoral schemes, such as the eviction moratoriums. But they make no mention of the victims of those schemes. In this case, the victims are those who were producing housing, something California desperately needs.