The coronavirus crisis may have caused the economy to tank but one Milwaukee landlord is doing what he can to help out by slashing his two tenants’ April rent to $100.
John Zutz, the owner of a three-family home, told WISN-TV he wanted to help where he can.
“I see what’s happening inside the world, in the country, and I realize there’s going to be a lot of people out of work, and they need help,” Zutz said. “I’m not sure if (my tenants) need it or not. That’s the point. They may not need it, but I encourage them, if they don’t need it, to spend the money in the neighborhood.”
Tenant Cai Logan told the station he does need the help because the virus has cut his income in half.
“This is affecting everyone, and this is affecting me financially,” Logan said. “I felt relieved, and I also felt grateful on a community level because (Zutz’s) intention was to free up some money to invest back in the neighborhood during a time of economic downturn.”
Zutz’s good deed is saving his tenants $1,000, according to the station.
He’ll see what happens when the May rent comes due.
For now, Zutz hopes other landlords will see his story and do the same for their tenants if they can afford to, the station reported.
“I understand how the economy works. You gotta keep the money moving. The stock market crashed three days in a row because people are sitting on their wallets,” Zutz said. “Keep going, keep doing it. It’ll come back. This’ll pass, but we gotta work together.”
