written by: @dawnnnyy_
Mario Salerno, a landlord with 80 apartments across 18 buildings in the Brooklyn-Queens area, is worried about the mental and physical health of his tenants. In an effort to “alleviate stress,” Salerno waived April’s rent.
In all 18 buildings, Salerno left a short note informing tenants not to worry about April 2020 rent. “STAY SAFE, HELP YOUR NEIGHBORS & WASH YOUR HANDS!!!” the landlord wrote.
Tenant Paul Gentile described Salerno as a “model landlord.” He was surprised but not shocked when he read the announcement. Gentile, 28, commented, “Emergencies are fixed almost immediately. You don’t see that, especially in a landlord-tenant relationship in New York City.”
Despite Salerno’s rental income loss, in an interview on Thursday he stated that he did not care about losing his rental income in April, nor did he care to calculate the amount that he would not be collecting from his 80 apartments.
“My concern is everyone’s health. I told them just to look out for your neighbor and make sure that everyone has food on their table.”
Salerno also owns and operates an auto repair shop and station that are both still open.
“Do I really want to do a simple oil change and a brake job?” Mr. Salerno said on the phone at the auto shop on Thursday. “No, but I have a lot of doctors and nurses who need their cars serviced.”
