On-time rent payments fell in Florida at the beginning of May; landlords brace for worse if unemployment system not fixed soon

Sun Sentinel (May 12, 2020) -- More Florida tenants failed to pay their May rent from May 1 to May 6 compared with last year, triggering concerns those numbers could worsen if unemployment benefits don’t start flowing faster.

In Florida, 85.5% of tenants paid their rent in full or in part between May 1 and May 6, a 4.2 percentage point drop compared with the 89.7% who paid during that time in 2019.

Lantana resident Victoria Alliji is among those Florida tenants so far unable to pay rent for May. The 25-year-old splits a $2,300-a-month apartment with two roommates, but they all lost their jobs at the beginning of the shutdown, she said.

None have received promised unemployment benefits and they are worried their landlord will quickly go to court to remove them when Gov. Rick DeSantis’ 45-day eviction moratorium expires on May 17.

Read more at: Sun Sentinel