Countless Americans are experiencing financial hardships after losing their income because of the coronavirus pandemic. According to data from the National Multifamily Housing Council, nearly a third of U.S. renters were unable to pay their landlords within the first five days of April, putting many of them at risk of eviction. And it appears some landlords are taking advantage of this vulnerability.
According to BuzzFeed News, a number of groups and organizations have reported an increase in sexual harassment claims against alleged predatory landlords. The outlet points to a case in which female tenant reached out to her landlord in attempt to postpone her rent until she receives an income. Her landlord allegedly "replied by telling her she could come over and spoon him instead."
There was also a case where a woman claims she contacted a prospective landlord to inquire about affordable housing options. The woman said she received a dick pic as a response.
These complaints are among the 10 that have been submitted to the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women over the past month. And although this kind of harassment isn't new, Khara Jabola-Carolus, the executive director of the commission, said there has been a significant surge in reported cases since the health crisis began.
"We've received more cases at our office in the last two days than we have in the last two years," Jabola-Carolus told BuzzFeed News last week. "Of course [coronavirus is] not the root cause of why it’s happening, but it makes it easier because now [landlords] have access to people at their fingertips."
Opening Communities, a nonprofit legal aid and fair housing agency in Chicago, has also received a spike in housing-related sexual harassment complaints during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We have seen an uptick in sexual harassment," said Sheryl Ring, the legal director for the organization. "Since this started, they [landlords] have been taking advantage of the financial hardships many of their tenants have in order to coerce their tenants into a sex-for-rent agreement — which is absolutely illegal."
Ring urged tenants who are being sexually harassed by their landlords to contact an attorney or a tenant's rights group for assistance. Jabola-Carolus has also penned a Medium post that lays out legal options for tenants whose landlords are pressuring them for sex.
