Landlords are working with tenant organizations on mediation, payment plans, and rent forgiveness to avoid the courts and litigation during the COVID-19, as well as after the ban on evictions is lifted, according to one representative organization.
Despite the ending of a federal moratorium on evictions, courts in both St. Louis City and County have frozen processing of actions.
Judge Rex Burlison, presiding judge of St. Louis City's 22nd Judicial Circuit, has ordered the suspension of evictions through September 1.
On Aug. 24, St. Louis County Circuit Court suspended the execution of writs — including eviction writs — until the court resumes in-person proceedings.
Mayor Lyda Krewson earlier this month said the city has received about 3,000 applications for rental and mortgage assistance. That number has almost certainly grown.
But the St. Louis Landlord Association, which has a membership of mostly larger scale multi-family property owners and managers, is warning that there will be problems to deal with the backlog, both for tenants and landlords.
"What we have done where they have not been able to collect rent or evict tenants, we have teamed up with pro-tenant organizations," said Michelle White, director of government affairs with the St. Louis Landlord Association. "We asked them to share information to establish programs for free mediation."
White added: "We do not want COVID, if you have lost your job, or been sick, to have the trickle down effect of eviction, a judgment in court. It just makes it ten times harder, (we) want to work with tenants to find ways around litigation, find ways not to go to court.
"From April 1, we have encouraged our membership to work out payment plans, rent forgiveness."
But, said White, there are "tenants who have the ability to pay and will not, and they say 'we do not have to pay you and there is nothing you can do about it'."
"It is a small population but it is not a hoax. They are doing it but it is not highly representative."
The courts are not willing to allow attorneys to bring cases if it is non-COVID related, she said, adding that this may be because they do not want the "flood gates" and that the judges have to follow the law.
White further said there is no law that lists coronavirus as an exception.
While the SLAA membership tends to be financially viable companies, there are fears for "mom and pop" operations wh are unable to collect and cannot evict.
"They will get their property back at some point but no way of knowing what condition they will be in," White said.
She added that some landlords will run out of reserves and they may need help, maybe with property or licensing fees, which are charged for each door.