Landlord in New York Canceled Rent For Hundreds of Tenants

• Mario Salerno posted a notice saying that his tenants don’t have to pay rent for April.
• He learned that his tenants were having a hard time making ends meet because of the coronavirus crisis.
• His tenants described him as a model landlord and were not surprised by his kindness.

Mario Salerno owns 18 apartment buildings in Brooklyn and should be financially set for life just by collecting rent. But these are hard times and this landlord understands how hard it is for his tenants nowadays.

So he did a very unselfish thing – waive the rent of his tenants that were due for April. On March 30, Mario posted a notice on the front doors of his apartment buildings, telling his tenants the good news.

Mario Salerno decided to waive rent for 200 tenants in his Brooklyn apartment buildings.

“Due to the recent pandemic of Coronavirus COVID-19 affecting all of us, please note I am waiving rent for the month for April 2020.”

“Stay safe, help your neighbors, & wash your hands!!! Thank you, Mario.”

Mario owns around 80 apartments and collects rent from roughly 200 tenants spread out across Greenpoint and Williamsburg in Brooklyn. The kind-hearted landlord decided to forego collecting rent when he heard from his tenants how they were having financial trouble because of the crisis.

A handful of his tenants messaged him saying they couldn’t afford to pay rent. Three of his renters, who were from Ireland, packed up their stuff and moved back home.

He doesn’t mind the loss of income, he said. All he cares about is that his tenants are safe and healthy.

“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,” he said.

Mario’s tenants were touched by his gesture. One of them, Paul Gentile, said that it didn’t surprise him since Mario has been a model landlord.

“You don’t see that, especially in a landlord-tenant relationship in New York City. He’s amazing,” Paul said.

Another tenant, Kaitlyn Guteski, who has been out of work since her hair salon was shut down, described Mario as “Superman. He’s a wonderful man.”

Mario also has a mechanic shop, gas station, and auto body shop, which he inherited from his father.