Homeowners get 90-day pass on mortgage bills. Renters still owe rent.
By Jacqueline Rabe Thomas and Kelan Lyons, CT Mirror, April 3, 2020. Available Here.
This article was updated with comments from the Department of Banking on April 4 at 11 a.m.
The week started with the Grauer and Rojas families not knowing how they were going to pay their housing expenses. The COVID-19 crisis has both families bracing for a significant drop in income.
Rick Grauer – who owns his Fairfield home and numerous investment properties nearby – welcomed news Tuesday that Connecticut’s governor had negotiated with banks and credit unions to give a 3-month suspension of mortgage payments for struggling homeowners.
The Rojas family – who rents their apartment in Hartford – has received no such relief. Their landlord told them Wednesday that rent must still be paid this month.
Amelia Rojas– a mother of four – doesn’t know where they are going to get the $850 to pay the rent. She no longer has a job as a housekeeper, the restaurant her husband worked at closed and his hours at a landscaping company were significantly scaled back.
“We had to make a choice,” said Rojas. “We bought food and other essentials and hope that we aren’t evicted.”