Father-in-Law Closes Down the Country, Son-in-Law Reacts Demanding ASAP Action From His Tenants

Jared Kushner

There are no CoVID-19-related rent breaks if you live in an apartment controlled by Jared Kushner and his family, despite the fact that for many such renters they have no income thanks to large parts of the country being closed down as a result of the actions of President Trump (Kushner's father-in-law), local and state government officials, and the fearmongering of Trump's top health lieutenant Tony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health.

Kushner apparently does not want his management staff to come in contact with renters but he does want to get paid, so he has set up an online payment that he wants his renters to sign up to "ASAP.".

Mother Jones reports:

On Thursday, March 19, Westminster Management—which is owned by the Kushner Companies and boasts of holding more than 20,000 apartments across six states—sent residents in at least one property a notice about rent collection—but it wasn’t about giving them a break on rent, nor did it include any reference to the unfolding COVID-19 crisis, according to emails and other correspondence reviewed by Mother Jones.

Under the corporate logo—a “W” with the roof of a house perched on top—the email began “IMPORTANT CHANGES TO BILLING & PAYMENTS,” before outlining a new online platform that would accept credit or debit card rent payments for a fee, or by e-check without additional charge...

Two days later, on March 21, the company sent another email to residents. While it acknowledged the global pandemic by saying the company hoped “you all stay safe and healthy in these challenging times,” it went on to tell tenants to sign up for the new payment platform “asap.” Despite the request for prompt action on payment, the email told residents the management company was running on limited resources and that, due to the need to prevent contact between staff and residents, rent-payers could expect fewer services and directed that anything beside emergency maintenance requests should wait “until the situation has improved.” In a separate communication days later, the company announced the closures of its buildings’ fitness centers, asked tenants not to come to their management office in person, and noted the company would be asking about the health status of tenants before completing non-emergency repairs.

“Please all be safe and healthy,” the March 21 message concluded. “We will get through this, it is all just a matter of time.”

On Wednesday, March 25, the company again reminded tenants of the new rent-payment platform, this time via paper notices slipped under apartment doors. The messages had no mention of any rent breaks or a willingness to work with tenants facing financial hardship due to the coronavirus.

-RW