“Bruce Brunner, a Minneapolis landlord, said two dozen of his 130 tenants had lost jobs or had their hours reduced.” Credit … Jenn Ackerman for The New York Times

by Conor Dougherty

“First it was the waitress whose restaurant closed. Then the waiter, the bartender, the substitute teacher, the hairdresser, the tattoo artist and the Walgreens manager.

“One after the other, the tenants called and emailed their landlord, Bruce Brunner, to say they were out of work and the rent was going to be late. A week after the bill was due, some two dozen of Mr. Brunner’s 130 tenants had lost their jobs or had their hours reduced. He’s working out payment plans and using security deposits as a stopgap while directing tenants to the emerging patchwork of local, state and federal assistance programs.

“’Six weeks ago, you could name your price and you’d have multiple people applying,’ said Mr. Brunner, who lives in Minneapolis, where he owns and manages 20 duplexes and triplexes across the city. “’Now you’re deferring and working out payment plans, and it’s only going to get worse.’”

Read this article at The New York Times, click here.