This is a time when people need to look out for people, and the property management companies of East Lansing are doing a very poor job of recognizing the position many of their residents are in. Due to fears over COVID-19 and the Stay Home, Stay Safe executive order issued by Governor Whitmer, thousands of people are unable to work. In East Lansing, many of these people are MSU students living in off-campus housing. With all MSU classes being moved online, and their workplaces being shut down, MSU students have no reason to stay in East Lansing, and many have no income during this time. As college students, we cannot be expected to have a huge safety net of savings to dip into when we cannot work, and the stress of having to pay rent for an apartment (that you likely are not living in at this time) when you are unable to work is substantial. We are asking the property management companies of East Lansing to forgive April rent in recognition of their residents inability to work.

EDIT: Property management companies have been contacted as of 3/31 at 6:30 pm. Please contact them individually as well explaining your situation and urging them to consider forgiving April rent! There is power in numbers!

This is the email we have sent, feel free to use it as a template or jumping off point for your own email!

To whom it may concern:

As you all know, thousands have lost their jobs due to COVID-19. The majority of your residents are college students who now have no income. Many of us have gone back to a permanent residence on recommendation of the university as a precaution to slow the spread of the virus. Additionally, our classes have been moved online and, without any income, we can't afford to buy our own food and other essentials. As you may imagine, having to pay rent has become nearly impossible for most of us. In a recent communication from DTN, the CARES act was cited, stating that individuals will be receiving federal aid to cover our expenses. However, as college students, the majority of us are claimed as dependents on our parents taxes and will not be receiving any of this aid.

Because we have no income and the reason we are renting your residencies has become obsolete, we are asking for you to forgive our rent for a short period of time while we are unemployed. We understand the financial burden reduced profits may put on your companies, but we are asking you to consider the financial burden your residents are under in these unprecedented times. To understand the number of your residents impacted by this and the extent of our concern, we would direct you to a petition started on March 24th that has, at this moment, nearly 3,000 supporters. The petition can be found here: http://chng.it/ScKCcPQg

Thank you for your time and we hope you will consider helping us get through these difficult times.

Sincerely,
Concerned part-time residents of East Lansing