LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – While tenants are facing an eviction crisis, some landlords are facing their own crisis, says the owner of a property management company. You find ravaged and damaged properties after tenants have been kicked out.
“What other business is vilified for trying to stay in business? But real estate managers are. Owners are, ”said Derek Möllinger, owner of Vice Realty, a real estate management company.
He says he manages about 650 units across the Las Vegas Valley. Moellinger tells the I-Team that damaged property is a common problem.
“We don’t just put down a piece of paper, we kick someone out because we don’t like them,” he said.
On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a new eviction ban until October 3. However, an earlier Supreme Court ruling suggested that only Congress could extend it beyond last Saturday’s deadline.
The announcement adds to the confusion this week about whether or not the eviction moratorium has ended. When it’s over, Möllinger estimates that Moellinger will soon lock out tenants in 20 units for unpaid rent.
He says this could be prevented if tenants applied for rent allowance.
“They don’t want it because they see it as us against them, and that’s really not the case,” said Möllinger. “We have a symbiotic relationship. I need tenants. Tenants need me. “
While evictions are expected to increase, rents in southern Nevada are also rising. The I-Team first contacted Moellinger after meeting one of its tenants, Tommie Wesley, on Monday. The resident informed the I-Team that their rent had increased by $ 275, which the landlord confirms.
We asked how Möllinger can justify this increase, to which he replied:
“In the same way, the gas station increases from $ 2.43 in January to $ 4.11 today. In the same way, Home Depot is now charging $ 70 for a sheet of plywood, and that was back in their teens. The prices also went up when I came to the grocery store. ”
He says that in many cases he’s willing to work with tenants like Wesley by giving them another month at the old price. He also says that he has obligations to the landlords he represents.
“They’re trying to make a living. Some of them are counting on it for their retirement, ”he said. “Some of them, yes, they have a lot of units and that’s business for them. The majority of the people, that’s not it. “
At the end of the day, Moellinger says he only wants the rent, be it from the rent subsidy or directly from the tenants.
Clark County reports that 9,000 rental aid applications are pending. They currently manage around 800 to 1,000 applications per week. It is important to note that once a tenant applies for rental allowance, they cannot be kicked out of their current living space.
Moellinger says he’s frustrated with how slow the process is.
Below are several resources for those facing an eviction or needing assistance with a rental.
Information from the self-help center for civil law:
- THE: Tenants and landlords
- WHAT: Free legal aid for evictions
- WHERE: Civil Law Self Help Center – Regional Justice Center, 200 Lewis Ave. (Downtown Las Vegas)
- IF: Mon-Thu, 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. and Fri, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Other helpful resources:
- Legal Assistance Southern Nevada: (702) -386-1070, website information click here.
- Clark County CARES Housing Assistance Program: Website information click here.
