Self-Help Evictions Surge As The Coronavirus Pushes Landlords, Tenants To The Brink

Brandon Bradley was job-hunting in Tennessee two weeks ago, when he got a text from his landlord’s daughter. It read:

“Brandon, my husband said you need to get your stuff out by tomorrow or he will put it in storage for you in the garage. The power and gas will be shut tomorrow.”

Brandon and his mom ran back to their hotel, threw everything into the car, and immediately drove back to Rhode Island. When he got home, his power was out.

He flipped the breakers back on, and recorded a video of the stove clock flashing.

“They turned off the breakers because the power was in their name,” Brandon said. “Now I put the power in my name. I just talked to National Grid. But yeah, if they turn it off again, there’s gonna be hell to pay.”

Brandon moved into this apartment last year. The lease was in his friend’s name. But when his friend moved out in March, his landlord, Suzanne Silva, said Brandon could stay for a couple months.

At that point, Brandon was planning to leave. He works as a car mechanic, and was thinking of transferring to a shop in Tennessee.

But then the coronavirus hit. Brandon said his hours at work were cut, the job in Tennessee fell through, and his beloved truck broke down. Now, he can’t afford to move.

But his landlord and her family want him out.

Read the rest of this story at The Public’s Radio’s website.