A landlord from North Carolina is speaking out against the Biden administration’s extension of an eviction moratorium as he faces a $24,000 hole from unpaid rent while his tenants, the landlord said, are “buying boats.”
Buddy Shoup told Fox & Friends this week that he’s owed $24,000 in unpaid rent due to policy prescriptions supposedly tied to the coronavirus pandemic. As he hemorrhages costs, Shoup outlined, his tenants bypassing rent have purchased three boats.
Despite this financial dilemma, “the federal government slowly dribbles out rental assistance, of which only 7% has been doled out to renters in need,” Fox News reported.
“[The money] was used, they went and bought brand new boats, but I mean, you know in a time of crisis like what we’ve been through, you’re evidently getting money from somewhere, but it’s not getting to me,” Shoup said.
“It goes way beyond the loss of rental income, we’re still bound by county rules and laws,” the North Carolina man added. “We have to maintain the property.”
The tenants buying up boats, Shoup said, contacted him when their air-conditioning failed in the middle of the summer.
Shoup was then legally required to make a steep $4,500 repair on the property but received no money from the tenants or the government to cover the costs, Fox News outlined.
“Shoup said that he oftentimes sends tenants who cannot pay rent to local programs, which are funded by city and county taxpayer dollars, in order to acquire some form of assistance,” the report added. “Yet, when it comes to federal rental assistance, the North Carolina landlord said he hasn’t seen any indication that the money is reaching struggling renters.”
As highlighted by The Daily Wire, President Biden, despite legal challenges, reversed himself Tuesday to reinstate a ban on evictions of renters who are not paying rent.
The Daily Wire’s Ashe Schow noted that the extension was already deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, though White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki argued they skirted the unconstitutionality since the moratorium is “temporary.”
“The moratorium has been in place for 18 months and will now live on for at least two more months,” Schow underscored. “The move from President Joe Biden is a major reversal from what he said just last week when he acknowledged he lacked the authority to extend the moratorium without action from Congress. Despite admitting that he had no legal authority to extend the moratorium, Biden did so anyway, knowing he won’t be held accountable.”
Landlords who violate the moratorium are subject to massive fines and potentially jail time.
“A person violating this Order may be subject to a fine of no more than $100,000 or one year in jail, or both if the violation does not result in a death, or a fine of no more than $250,000 or one year in jail, or both if the violation results in a death or s otherwise provided by law,” says the new order, drafted by the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC).
“An organization violating this Order may be subject to a fine of no more than $200,000 per event if the violation does not result in a death or $500,000 per event if the violation results in a death or as otherwise provided by law,” the order continues. “The U.S. Department of Justice may initiate criminal proceedings as appropriate seeking imposition of these criminal penalties.”
Related: OPINION: The Eviction Moratorium Will Ensure Only Corporations Can Be Landlords
Related: Biden Reinstates Ban On Evicting Renters; Threatens Landlords With Jail Time, Up To $250k Fines