The pandemic has led to many people being sick with COVID-19 and many without jobs due. Thousands lost their jobs due to the pandemic thus pushing them to receive unemployment or nothing at all. One mother, in particular, was in the same boat and dealt with a very disturbing landlord situation. Living in Fenton, Missouri Hannah McGee fell on hard times.
When the global pandemic hit she had lost her job working at a restaurant thus leading her to receive unemployment as her only income. Unemployment being her only income it led Hannah to struggle to pay her bills and to put feed her daughter and herself. One of those bills she struggled with was the rent, which led to something she had never seen a landlord do before.
Hannah McGee lives in an apartment complex as she had for many years. She rents an apartment right next door to her mother who has been renting that apartment for over 13 years. When Hannah lost her job she ended up getting two months behind on her rent, thus owing her landlord $1,000. The landlord was upset over this and took matters into his own hands. Many landlords usually serve an eviction notice when not receiving a rent payment, this landlord however took a different approach. One day while Hannah was out looking for a job she came back to her apartment realizing her landlord had removed her front door. This removal of her front door left her home belongings exposed, leaving her child at risk of weather and the thieves of the area easy access to her home. The harsh weather temperatures and her home exposed made for a very hard hit for this mother.
This struggling mother states she has always been on good terms with the landlord. She states she has always been on time with her rent payments and has never had any problems. With Hannah losing her job due to the pandemic and not being able to make ends meet with unemployment, she realized it was one slip-up that led to the landlord’s drastic act. Hannah McGee says “My Christmas tree is right next to my door frame where there’s no door. I don’t know how we’re going to open presents on Christmas like that.” With her health at risk from being exposed to the weather and her belongings at risk, this makes for a very trying time. Currently, she is trying to fix the problem and get things back on track while her child lives with her grandmother. Hannah McGee is trying to look at the bright side and find the humor in this disturbing situation and notes that many people go through a lot worse.