PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Since early May, renters in Pennsylvania could not get evicted under an executive order signed by the governor. The moratorium was extended in July but expired at midnight on August 31. Now, landlords and tenants are wondering what will happen next.
Joseph Romano owns Prestige Property Maintenance, where he and his crew help manage properties in the Poconos. But the company also works with banks for evictions and foreclosures.
"A lot of times the place is empty already, sometimes they are still there. Sometimes it goes smooth; sometimes they give the sheriff a hard time. Once the house is cleared, we change the locks," Romano explained.
With the moratorium on evictions expiring, Prestige Property Maintenance started to prepare for more work. But now Governor Wolf is calling on the House and Senate to pass a bill that would extend the moratorium on evictions, something housing advocates have been pushing for.
"This would lessen that fear for individuals and for families and allow them to remain where they currently are while we're still trying to get through this pandemic, and they're trying to stabilize their financial situations," said Lori O'Malley, Wayne County Deputy Human Service Administrator.
In a news conference, Governor Wolf explained that by law, he no longer has the power to extend the date, so he wants Democrats and Republicans to work together to pass this bill.
Ron Parasole manages about 400 properties in Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties through his company Parasole Property Management. He doesn't agree with the government getting involved.
"It's not going to do anything but hurt the homeowner. If the tenants do have an issue, we're human beings. We're a document-based company, and we're more strict than most, and we're working with the tenants," Parasole said.
Parasole says about 10 percent of his tenants have not been paying their rent regularly during the pandemic, but he says the renters who are struggling financially are in constant communication with him. He believes landlords and tenants can work together without a need for this bill.
There is a rent relief program, though, that landlords are eligible to apply for to protect themselves.
"With the moratorium, it's been protecting the tenants, but the landlords are in the position where they are not paying their mortgages or their bills, and they're stuck," Wayne County Housing Coordinator Heather Miszler explained.
Miszler says landlords are grateful something like this exists to protect them, not just tenants.
As of now, that program allows landlords to apply through the end of the year.