Economics
If Landlords Get Wiped Out, Wall Street Wins, Not Renters
Bans on evictions and rent strikes could push out small investors.
Maribeth Shields in West Haven, Conn., on May 10.
Photographer: Jillian Freyer for Bloomberg BusinessweekThis article is for subscribers only.
Nobody’s bailing out Connecticut landlord Maribeth Shields.
More than half of the tenants in the 27 low-income apartments she owns in the city of West Haven and its vicinity aren’t paying and there’s nothing she can do about it. The state banned evictions until July and allowed tenants hurt by the pandemic to defer with no penalty.