How COVID-19 is Affecting Landlords

Since the COVID-19 pandemic has started to escalate here in the United States and certain protocol and guidelines (like Harris County’s “Stay Home-Work Safe” order) have gone into effect, I’ve been receiving a lot of questions from my landlord clients about how the changes will affect them. As with all things related to coronavirus, the situation is fluid, but I thought I’d share with everyone some useful info I’ve been passing along to my clients.

General Disinfection Guidance for Landlords
The Houston Health Department has released important cleaning and disinfection guidelines for landlords that are all about keeping you and your tenants safe and healthy. These helpful guidelines can be found here.

Access to/Showing the Property
Paragraph 14 of the TAR promulgated lease form covers landlord access to the property, whether it be for repairs or showing the property to potential tenants once the current tenant has given notice. The standard form allows the landlord to make the property available to show. These days though, I’m recommending that my landlord clients consider holding off on showing a home until the lease is up—both in the interest of their tenants’ safety and to reduce any potential liability on their end. Should you have legal questions about this, please consult a real estate attorney.

Since showings are decreased, I am offering to put as much information as possible on the HAR listing page to make sure prospects can get a better idea of what the home or apartment is like without actually going in. This way we can avoid having to show an occupied property, but potential lease candidates can still gather enough information to decide whether or not a property has everything they’re looking for. The end goal is the same: to find a great tenant for your property in the time frame you need, but with an added emphasis on preserving the health and safety of all parties involved.

Tenants at Higher Risk of Developing Severe Illness from COVID-19
If a tenant is a member of a community at higher risk of developing severe illness due to COVID-19 exposure, they may have the right to request an accommodation to not allow showings. This scenario can be rather complicated and really should be taken on a case-by-case basis. If you find yourself dealing with this sort of request, just let me know and I’ll be happy to discuss this with you.

Evictions
It is important to note that while Texas courts may still accept new eviction case filings right now, all residential evictions have been put on hold statewide due to COVID-19.

The Texas Real Estate Commission released (and is updating) an article on much of the above info in case you’d like to know more.

Communication is key, since we are all learning new things about the virus, healthcare guidelines, the economy, governmental requirements, and the real estate market, each day. Please know that I’m always just a phone call, text, or email away. Stay well!