Coronavirus: Landlord says he won’t collect rent during outbreak, says others should do same

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — One landlord is telling his tenants he will not make them pay rent for the month of April because of the COVID-19, or new coronavirus, outbreak, and he’s telling other landlords they should do the same.

Nathan Nichols, who owns two units in South Portland, Maine, said he has one family who has a single hourly income and a small child.

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Nichols in all has six tenants, WCSH reported.

“It would be a lot more expensive for me to lose a tenant than to give one month’s rent off,” Nichols told WMTW.

He posted his pledge to Facebook where it is going viral. He’s also challenging others to follow in his footsteps.

While some people are calling Nichols a hero, he says that it’s important for those who can step up and be generous during difficult times.

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“If more people do this, which is the only reason I posted this in the first place, to hopefully get people to take a hard look at what they can do to keep things working,” Nichols told WMTW.

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Cox Media Group