New York Times, Roost Agree on Renters’ Next Steps
to Apartment Living

October 1, 2020

An eviction protection policy as laid out in the federal CARES Act is set to expire on Saturday. 

Renters and apartment owners are no doubt nervous about the economic hardships in this country and are contingency planning for what happens next. Nothing is certain to come from the acrimonious Congress in terms of eviction moratoriums or unemployment benefits.

It’s not too late to prepare for now and the future. New York Times reporter Ron Lieber lays out 10 things renters can do to try to prevent their own eviction, including negotiating with their landlords, reviewing the lease and soliciting outside support from renter advocacy groups. Another piece of advice is to NOT simply cut and run. 

“Covid-19 is taking its toll on many apartment renters. We advise many renters, as a first step, to talk with their property manger. When under such stress, it’s tempting to want to avoid the conversation especially when you don’t see a solution at hand, says Chanin Ballance, CEO of Roost.

“People often confuse the first step in the process with the last step,” said Zach Neumann, founder of the Covid-19 Eviction Defense Project. The Covid-19 Eviction Defense Project in Denver estimates that between 19 million and 23 million — one in five of the 110 million Americans who live in rental housing — are at risk of eviction by the end of September.

Roost is an outsourced deposit management solution with financial services for renters — including ways to save, build credit and improve financial stability.