I saw a report on CNN last night that was just rebroadcast. A guy is renting a two-bedroom house. (I didn’t catch where. Georgia?) His family had to evacuate New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina, so they moved in with him until they can find other arrangements. The landlord has informed the renter that he is violating the terms of his lease, and that unless his family moves out immediately he will be evicted. There’s also an issue of a local ordinance that provides for fines against a landlord who allows too many people to inhabit a dwelling. The landlord says that he has not been shown consideration by the renter, and says that the renter should toalk to him instead of CNN talking to him.
There is no question that the landlord is within his rights. There is no question that the landlord could suffer civil penalties if he allows the refugees to stay. But it seems to me that in an emergency situation the laws prohibiting over-habitation should be suspended. (I see this as being similar to FAA regulations that say a pilot can deviate from the FARs in an emergency to the extent that he can deal with the emergency.)
Civil laws aside, and given that the CNN report seems biased in favour of the renter, it seems to me that the landlord is being unreasonable and heartless. What do you think?
This is going to happen more and more. This is the largest mass migration from an area we’ve seen in modern history. The gold rush is probably the last time this many people innundated an area. Landlords, apartment management companies, no one is prepared to handle this. I’m in Dallas and we’ve got a few thousand evacuees around here looking to find places to live and we just don’t have the resources to pick up the load. The process takes more time than the people have. Finding an apartment is only the first step. There have been floods of new electric service accounts being set up, phone service, etc. The service industries in cities all over the neighboring states are being flooded as people try to find somewhere to stay that doesn’t double as a sporting event venue. This is a doubly difficult task because many of the things which are built into the process(rental history, referrals, deposits, proof of employment, etc.) are lacking for many evacuees. You can’t call their previous landlord if their landlord is in a shelter somewhere and they don’t know where. Many landlords and apartment complexes are making exceptions to the rules just to get people in. And, sadly, they are sometimes paying the price for it by not being able to verify if the tenant has vandalized previous housing, or has a record. Criminal background checks(mainly for felonies) are still happening but a lot of the information landlords use to judge a prospective tenant just isn’t available in the case of evacuees. Cash flow for things like utility deposits or security deposits is pretty meagre as well. Evacuees are being processed by FEMA for aid in these areas but it is going too slowly for many of them.
Remember that it isn’t only those who had to be transported out of stricken areas, but it is also those who evacuated via personal transport in the days before the hurricane who are now unable to return home. They may have had enough cash for a week or so in a hotel but the majority probably don’t have the means to stay for months or years. Moving into local housing is usually cheaper than a hotel, so local landlords and apartments are becoming overwhelmed.
In 30-60 days expect to see headlines of heartless apartment managers evicting evacuees for non-payment. Hotels are already starting to turn out evacuees and apartment complexes are probably going to be taking a bath as they lease a unit and then have that lease broken as people move back to the area or simply abandon their rental obligations.
I was wondering myself if there would be consequences down the road resulting from this mass migration of people. No doubt there are oodles of NO criminals, shysters, what have you, who have been displaced and are now starting over somewhere else, with new neighbors none the wiser. None of this really would manifest itself while relief efforts are still in “crisis mode” with the goal of getting any and every possible form of assistance to virtually anyone, rather than letting anyone suffer without.
But after things calm down a little I’m guessing some bad reports will come out about a few of the evacuees. I fear this will not end well for some people whose motives were to sincerely help, and just ended up giving assistance to the wrong sort.
But as long as they aren’t, what should he do? He might have to pay fines, and maybe he would be liable if something bad happened. Say, a fire. Maybe even criminally liable, for all I know…
I have not seen any evidence or allegations that the people involved in the story I talked about in the OP are criminals.
I believe laws are often suspended in times of emergency. For example, the polluted water in New Orleans is being pumped into Lake Pontchartrain. This is illegal, but it must be done. I did not hear that the landlord was in fact facing a fine, only that he could potentially face one. I don’t think that a municipality would enforce the fine under the circumstances. If it did, it would face a public relations fiasco and they would probably reverse the decision.
I think there is a time for laws, and a time for compassion.
Well-stated, and I agree. It sounds to me as if the landlord is running scared, or (my suspicion only) that he has some other agenda. I simply cannot imagine a municipality enforcing such a statute under the circumstances, particularly once the media gets wind of it.
Just curious, do you recall if this was a large city, a suburb, a small town…?
I hate to say this, but if I had the room to take evacuees into my home- I would only take the most innocuous- young moms with wee children, elderly people & people that either I knew or someone I know & trust knew. ESPECIALLY if I had my own family to watch out for.
The obvious thing for someone (tenant, landlord, CNN) to do is to call the mayor’s office and ask what the policy is concerning over-inhabitation and evacuees. If a favorable policy is not already in effect, suggest that the mayor announce that there will be no prosecutions for taking in evacuees. The mayor will almost certainly jump at the chance to create favorable publicity for him/herself.
I’m not normally a fan of organized religion, but here in the Memphis area the churches have really stepped up to help evacuees. Many churches are housing evacuees, and the accomodations are definitely better than staying at the Astrodome. The evacuees get much more personal attention than if they were to depend on the govenment’s “take a number” policies. They get clothes that fit and appropriate personal items. They’re being very well fed. They have a rent-free place to stay until they can return home or until they find jobs and permanent living quarters, which the church members will help them find. Many of the churches are like community centers, with recreational facilities for the youngsters.
Caring for the Katrina evacuees, both short- and long-term, is a huge task, with problems to be overcome at every step. Even those lucky enough to have relatives take them in are struggling – for reasons such as described in the O.P.
The churches are in a position to be able to do a lot of good on a one-to-one basis, and they’re doing a great job here.