April 1 Rent Strike & Rent And Mortgage Payment Freeze

SAN JOSE, Calif. - March 30, 2020 - PRLog -- The Affordable Housing Network supports calls coming across the country for a COVID-19 rent and mortgage payment strike on April 1. Millions of people are not able to pay rent on April 1st, due to virus-related business closures and layoffs.

The point of calling for a rent strike is to NOT PAY RENT IN AN ORGANIZED WAY, so people can better defend themselves against eviction. And to pressure the government to declare a RENT AND MORTGAGE PAYMENT FREEZE .

The Affordable Housing Network recommends:

1)      If you cannot pay your rent or mortgage, ORGANIZE. Be careful about social distancing; organize your building, neighborhood, and/or community organization, so when you don't pay, nobody pays, or at least many won't pay. If enough people don't pay, the landlords and banks won't be able to retaliate, because they can't evict everyone.

2)      When you organize, contact government representatives by email, social media, or by any socially distant means to enact a RENT AND MORTGAGE PAYMENT FREEZE for the duration of the pandemic.

3)      If you can afford to pay rent or mortgage and are NOT part of an organized rent strike, you can join an existing rent strike, or else go ahead and pay your rent. We do not recommend fighting on your own in isolation.

4)      Santa Clara County has adopted an eviction freeze, so use it if you can. The freeze requires documentation of virus-related loss of income, and individuals pay all back rent due in 120 days. This won't work because some people could not afford the rent even before the crisis, and many will not be able to make up back rent in only 120 days. We highly recommend that if you do have income loss from the coronavirus, document it in case you need to contest an eviction.

5)      Finally, remember that Santa Clara County eviction courts are closed until April 7, and may stay closed longer, especially since the eviction moratorium is in effect. Between the court closure, the moratorium, and sheer numbers of people not paying rent -  there is temporarily shut down of the eviction system. In the process, we hope to change the whole housing system from one based on private profit into one where housing is a human right.

More information at SJtenants.org .

SJ eviction moratorium

https://www.sanjoseca.gov/your-government/departments-offices/housing/eviction-moratorium

Santa Clara County eviction moratorium

https://www.lawfoundation.org/news/2020/3/24/law-foundation-applauds-santa-clara-board-of-supervisors-for-enacting-emergency-eviction-freeze

State eviction moratorium

https://www.gov.ca.gov/2020/03/27/governor-newsom-takes-executive-action-to-establish-a-statewide-moratorium-on-evictions/

Questions? Call 408-691-6153.