For David Placek, the decision to cancel his tenants’ rents was easy.

In late February, the 39-year-old father of three had heard of the devastating impact the coronavirus outbreak was having in Italy, where life came to a standstill. He saw a grim glimpse of the stress and anxiety taking ahold of its residents, worried of catching the virus and the effect on the economy.

It wasn’t a long discussion with his wife, Bridget. He emailed his dozen residents in Montclair, and took the weight of a looming rent payment off their shoulders through May — two months.

“We hope to reduce your stress and anxiety by waiving all rent due for months of April and May. To be clear, you do not need to remit rent for these two months,” he wrote in an email to tenants on March 18.

During his interview with NJ Advance Media, Placek said he’d also be waiving June rent, since it doesn’t seem like life will be back to normal by then.

“We should all do our part, and it’s something we can do. It provides a little bit of good news to people in a world where there’s no good news, and I think that’s meaningful,” Placek said. “The idea was just, let’s relieve some stress from our tenants.”

The email Placek sent to his residents informing them he was waiving rent. Courtesy John Placek

Amid the economic fallout after the pandemic forced business closures and massive layoffs, tenants are still required to pay rent. Roughly 35 percent of New Jersey residents rent their home or apartment, according to Census data.

While Gov. Phil Murphy offered some mortgage relief by announcing a stay on payments for 90 days, he hasn’t done the same for renters. He implored landlords who were getting a mortgage holiday to “show some compassion” and pass it along.

And thankfully, Placek said, he runs his companies, BDP Holdings and Community Investment Partners, by taking a “more compassionate approach.”

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He called himself an exception, and recognizes his privilege in being able to withstand the loss of income.

“We know not every property owner can do what we’re able to do, but we are. The dollar amounts, although meaningful, are something we can live without for a few months,” he said.

Not every landlord can afford to not be paid rent, even if they can hold off on paying their mortgages. Maintenance, property taxes and utility bills can quickly add up.

But, Placek added, that’s no reason to be increasing rent, threatening to evict tenants or having a bad attitude with renters who are stuck with no income.

“There’s never a time to be a bad actor, but certainly not when the world is facing a crisis we’re facing now. It’s just not the appropriate time,” he said, noting Montclair passed a rent freeze ordinance.

Rather, the Southern California native has a bigger “pay it forward" mentality.

In his email to tenants, he urged them to instead spend what money they could at small businesses in Montclair or support Toni’s Kitchen, a soup kitchen in Montclair. Placek and his family make sure to order from local restaurants to support their workers at least once a week.

“Everyone is so helpless. If you want to help in this current crisis, it’s hard to help,” he said. “When there’s enough community support to see something through, though, you can make it happen.”

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Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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