Perth renters seeking relief with landlords during coronavirus crisis

Satinka Schilling has dodged the proverbial bullet on her rent, for now.

The former New Democratic Party candidate in last year’s federal election, has just come out of a two-week self-isolation with her partner.

“We wanted to be safer than sorry,” she said. But as rent day approached, with money tight after two weeks of not working, they were faced with a daunting decision — pay “rent or ... other bills like hydro or food.”

One week before the rent was due, she approached her landlord, and asked if their first month’s rent deposit could be used to cover her rent for April.

However, her landlord needed that money to cover her own mortgage payments. But, her landlord spoke with her husband and came back to Schilling.

In exchange for not having to pay rent on April 1, the couple would then pay one-and-a-half times their rent in May and June.

“Thankfully, I was able to do that,” she said.