Landlord says halting of evictions during coronavirus outbreak could lead to foreclosures

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    Dallas (KTVT) — Rental property owners in Dallas say Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins’ order halting evictions for 60 days could actually force people out on the streets.

Preventing evictions during such a volatile time will be welcome news to people who may have trouble paying their rent, but landlords wonder how they will be able to pay mortgages, insurance and taxes.

Clint Cash, 43, makes a living renting a handful of homes including some in Dallas County.

“I’m here just to rent and give them a great place to stay,” said Cash.

Cash said he and others who lease homes were blindsided by the announcement from Judge Jenkins that evictions would be halted for 60 days.

Cash said he never wants to evict anyone.

“I have had to, but it’s not that often,” he said.

He said rental property owners like himself could face foreclosures if they don’t get rent money needed to pay taxes, insurance and mortgages on the properties they own.

“As a landlord I rely on payments to come in from those tenants… They pay me and I pay a mortgage or another investor. There’s so many things, taxes you have ,insurance, all those things must be paid.”

Tenants, he says, would be better off communicating potential problems making rent payments to their landlords otherwise both could be in trouble.

“So it’s two-fold now. The landlord loses the property and the tenant loses the property.”

CBS 11 has not yet gotten a response from the Dallas County Judge about these concerns.

The halting of evictions does not mean that tenants are off the hook or won’t be subject to late fees.

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