Prime Minister, Dr. the Right Honourable Keith Mitchell, has called on landlords across the country to be more sensitive to the plight of some tenants who are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The appeal from the Prime Minister applies to landlords who rent properties for both residential and commercial purposes.
In his national address on Sunday, Dr. Mitchell encouraged landlords “to be more sensitive to the predicament faced by many tenants, especially those with good track records, but who are now unable to operate their business or have lost their jobs.”
Dr. Mitchell noted that banks and other financial institutions have extended moratoria to clients, including those with mortgages and he urged that these benefits be passed on to tenants to help ease the financial burden the pandemic has created.
The Prime Minister further explained that this is not an attempt to absolve tenants of their responsibility to pay rent, however, there are cases where tenants are now unemployed, have experienced a pay cut or have not been able to operate their business.
Identifying landlords as a group of people who can inspire positivity in this period of crisis, Dr. Mitchell recommended that, “Eviction should not to be the preferred course of action at this time.”
