Houston Mayor, Texas Senator Join TMO in Call on Landlords for Post-Harvey Grace Period for Renters

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Texas Senator Sylvia García joined TMO in calling on landlords to extend a 30-day grace period and to refrain from charging renters’ fees and penalties following the devastation left by Hurricane Harvey.

According to TMO, some landlords use computerized systems that automatically  charge penalties for late payments regardless of Houston being in post-Harvey recovery.  Rev. Ed Gomez of St. Paul’s/San Pablo Episcopal Church shared stories of tenants who work in the service industry and, due to the storm, missed days of work and are now unable to pay their rent at this time.  ”People are not asking for a handout but a hand up as we get through this difficult time,” he said.

Turner, Garcia and other TMO leaders were forceful in urging undocumented immigrants not to shy away from assistance for fear of being asked for papers.  Said Mayor Turner, “We are not going to tolerate anybody in this city being victimized because they may be poor or because they may be undocumented or because they may not speak the language. We expect people to treat people right, with dignity and respect.”

[Photo Credit: Al Ortiz, Houston Public Media]

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