Practice Area: landlord/tenant

Few events are more frustrating to a landlord than tenants and bankruptcy. The uncertainty of whether the tenant will pay outstanding rent, compensate for utilities and late fees, and leave the property can be infuriating.

Originally acquired as a source of revenue generation, the property now serves as free housing for a delinquent tenant. Despite the seemingly helpless outcome of a bankruptcy filing, a landlord should know there are still options on regaining possession of his property, as well as receiving some payments, even when a tenant declares bankruptcy.

What Happens When a Tenant Declares Bankruptcy?

The bankruptcy begins when the tenant files a Petition in the Bankruptcy Court. Upon the filing of a Petition, any legal proceeding between the landlord and tenant immediately freezes. This abrupt halting of the landlord-tenant dispute, known as the automatic stay, remains in place until either the bankruptcy court permits for it to resume or the bankruptcy proceeding completes.

Even if the landlord has already won a lawsuit, obtained a judgment for possession to reclaim his property, and has coordinated with a local constable to evict a tenant, the automatic stay proibits any further action. The tenant gets to stay until one of the two conditions above occurs.

While the automatic stay remains in place, the landlord should consider his options in conjunction with a real estate attorney. The petition will specify what type, or Chapter, of bankruptcy the tenant has filed. A landlord's options depend on the type of bankruptcy the tenant has filed. In nearly all cases, a residential tenant will file in either Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy.

Tenants and Bankruptcy: Chapter 7

In Chapter 7 bankruptcy, the tenant surrenders his assets to a trustee. The trustee determines which of the tenant's creditors gets paid from those tenant's assets. The trustee generally liquidates the assets and ascertains the compensation each creditor receives.

The trustee pays creditors with secured claims with proceeds from collateral and then pays unsecured claims. As obligations to the landlord under a lease are usually unsecured, landlords typically fail to receive any payment of outstanding rent, late fees, or utilities when a tenant enters Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

The landlord may still get paid, however, if the tenant assumes the lease in bankruptcy. Under the Bankruptcy Code, the tenant must, within 60 days of filing his petition in Chapter 7, indicate whether he intends to either assume or reject the lease.

If the tenant agrees to the lease, he must maintain current rent payments and provide adequate assurance that he will pay all outstanding monies to the landlord within a reasonable amount of time. The tenant, in turn, can stay in the property while he pays the landlord under the terms of the lease.
Should the tenant fail to make such payments or provide the needed assurances, the landlord may file a motion with the Bankruptcy Court for relief from the automatic stay. A real estate lawyer can help you determine when, and if, to file a motion.

If the Bankruptcy Court grants the motion, the automatic stay terminates, and the landlord may return to state court to remove the tenant from the property.

If the tenant rejects the lease, he is no longer obligated to perform under its terms, such as paying rent. The landlord may try to obtain relief of the automatic stay from the Bankruptcy Court if the tenant refuses to vacate the property. After filing the petition, the Bankruptcy Code provides that the tenant rejects the lease if he does not assume it within 60 days.

Tenants and Bankruptcy: Chapter 13

With a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, the tenant-debtor attempts to restructure his debt and pay his creditors based on a payment plan. This payment plan, which the Bankruptcy Court must approve (or confirm), should include the tenant's proposal on paying the landlord any outstanding rent and costs.

Unsecured creditors, like a landlord, may even receive payment. Unlike a Chapter 7 case, the debtor maintains control over his assets instead of having the trustee liquidate them.

In Chapter 13, the tenant has until the time the Bankruptcy Court judge confirms the payment plan, rather than the 60-day deadline in a Chapter 7 proceeding, to either assume or reject the lease. If the tenant drags his feet and fails to meet his lease obligations while the plan confirmation remains pending, the landlord may ask the Court to confirm the plan sooner or seek relief from the automatic stay.

A tenant may propose to pay the landlord only a fraction of the agreed-upon rent spread over a series of several months while maintaining possession of the property. The landlord, however, may seek relief from the automatic stay to re-obtain the property and seek monetary damages in state court. In the event you would like to seek relief, it’s best to consult with a real estate attorney near you.

Tenants and Bankruptcy: Chapter 11

While individual tenants typically enter bankruptcy under Chapter 7 and 13, some may file under Chapter 11. Typically, business entities file under Chapter 11. In Chapter 11, the tenant-debtor will file a restructuring plan and follow the same deadlines to assume or reject the lease as in a Chapter 13 case.

Like Chapters 7 and 13, the tenant's failure to comply with a lease (such as timely paying rent) provides the landlord a basis to seek relief from the automatic stay. Commercial property tenants filing under Chapter 11 have different deadlines to file a plan of reorganization. They also have separate timelines for assuming or rejecting the lease.

Landlords are eager to collect unpaid rent and repossess their property, but with the CDC’s eviction moratorium in place, what can landlords collect, and when?

In May, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf entered an executive order preventing owners of residential properties from evicting their tenants for the tenants’ failure to timely pay their rent. Though renters were never permitted to permanently withhold rent payments, the executive order also permitted renters to delay making month-to-month payments while they navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. Governor Wolf extended the provisions originally set forth in the executive order through July 10, and again through August 31.

However, landlords in Pennsylvania could not resume eviction efforts even after Governor Wolf’s executive order expired on August 31. On September 4, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) entered its own order under Section 361 of the Public Health Service Act which placed a nationwide eviction moratorium on residential tenants effective when tenants submit to their landlords a document known as a “CDC Declaration.” The CDC’s order, which aims to prevent the further spread of COVID-19, will not expire until December 31, 2020.

With the prohibition on evictions lasting throughout the calendar year, landlords are undoubtedly anxious to reclaim possession of their rental properties. And though previously unable to collect owed money due to the Pennsylvania moratorium eviction, many landlords are eager to reclaim unpaid rent needed to pay the mortgages, taxes, and utilities on those rental properties.

So what is a landlord entitled to recover once the eviction moratorium expires?

Landlords can actually seek out monetary judgments at this time—the CDC’s order prohibits landlords from evicting tenants throughout December 31. Both Governor Wolf’s executive Order and the CDC’s order do not eliminate the tenant’s obligation to pay rent (though the Pennsylvania moratorium eviction permitted tenants to delay payments). That said, landlords can collect any monthly payments the tenant agreed to make in the lease, including all back rents and (if applicable) utilities. The CDC eviction moratorium merely prohibits landlords from repossessing their property.

What happens if the tenant cannot pay rent after the eviction moratorium expires?

If the tenant cannot pay his rent, but is still bound to several months’ of rent payments, a prudent landlord should inquire what payment the tenant can make. Landlords and tenants are always free to renegotiate the terms of the lease. Agreements to stagger payments of outstanding debts, such as a structured payment plan, can be viable alternatives to litigation. If litigation ensues, it's best to talk with a real estate lawyer for advice. And, in some cases, agreeing to release a tenant from part or all his lease obligations can be mutually beneficial: the tenant avoids increasing debt from unpaid rent, and the landlord can re-let his property to paying tenants.

What happens if a landlord and a tenant cannot agree on renegotiation of payment?

Under these circumstances, landlords should begin eviction proceedings and would be wise to see the assistance of a real estate attorney.

Not all situations, however, can be resolved. Again, many landlords have gone several months without receiving rent income, and may have no choice but to move on from tenants incapable of meeting their lease commitments. Under these circumstances, landlords should begin eviction proceedings and would be wise to see the assistance of a landlord-tenant attorney. Again, landlords should be mindful that they cannot evict tenants throughout December 31 if the tenant has submitted a CDC Declaration.

What is needed to start the process of tenant eviction?

The first step in an eviction proceeding is the issuance of a “Notice to Quit” letter. The Notice to Quit acts as a formal notification from the landlord to the tenant indicating the landlord’s intent to remove the tenant from the property.

How many days in advance must a Notice to Quit letter be given before eviction?

If the eviction is based on the tenant’s non-payment of rent, the Notice to Quit letter must give the tenant 10 days notice of the eviction. However, a tenant can waive his right to be served with a Notice to Quit, and such a waiver is often contained within the lease.

Can a landlord change the locks or otherwise engage in “self-help” on a tenant who hasn’t paid rent?

Landlords should also know that they cannot engage in self-help to carry out an eviction. This has been the law before the COVID-19 pandemic began, and will continue whether or not the eviction moratorium extends throughout 2021. In other words, in the absence of a court order, landlords cannot change the locks on their property to coerce delinquent tenants to leave, nor can they hire a locksmith to do so. Rather, if the tenant remains in possession of the property after the period detailed in the Notice to Quit, a landlord must obtain an eviction judgment from the relevant court.

How does a landlord get an eviction judgement in Pennsylvania?

Typically, to get that eviction judgment in Pennsylvania, the landlord must file a Complaint with the Magisterial District Court that lies in the same jurisdiction where the rental property is located. That Complaint should request that the Magisterial District Court Judge enter an order for possession in the landlord’s favor as well as a monetary judgment against the tenant for all back rent and court costs. In addition to possession and back rent, the landlord can also request judgment for any new rent that will become due at the time of the hearing, and if the lease permits it, unpaid utilities and attorneys’ fees.

The Court will then schedule a hearing at some later date, at which time the landlord (or the landlord’s attorney) will argue before a Magisterial District Court Judge as to why he is entitled to the relief demanded in the Complaint.

However, the Magisterial District Court will only hear a case when a landlord demands less than $12,000.00 in damages. In light of the protracted eviction moratorium—which will have lasted over eight months by the time the CDC’s order expires on December 31—it is not uncommon for a landlord to claim substantially more than $12,000.00 in back rent, attorneys’ fees, outstanding utility payments, and other potential damages. In this case, the landlord cannot file a Complaint with the Magisterial District Court and instead must look to the local Court of Common Pleas for relief. Cases heard before the Court of Common Pleas can take several months to litigate—much longer than those matters heard in the Magisterial District Court level. That said, a landlord owed a significant balance but more interested in obtaining possession may take advantage of the expedited litigation provided by the Magisterial District Court and agree to cap monetary damages at $12,000.00.

Can a tenant appeal an eviction?

Even if a judge grants an order for possession and other relief in the landlord’s favor, the landlord must wait 10 days before he can file the order for possession. During this 10 day period, the tenant can appeal the judge’s decision. If 10 days pass with no appeal, the landlord can then file and serve the order for possession, but a sheriff or constable will not initiate the eviction until another 10 days after service of the order for possession has passed. During this period, which can last several weeks, if the tenant can come up with enough money to satisfy the monetary judgment and the landlord’s costs in obtaining the order for possession before the constable or sheriff can initiate the eviction, then the tenant may continue to posses the property. (This benefit to the tenant, known as the right to “pay and stay,” is available only when the tenant faces eviction for non-payment of rent.)

Can a landlord evict a tenant for other reasons during the pandemic?

The above information outlines the landlord’s options due to a tenant’s non-payment of rent. The CDC’s order does not prevent landlords from commencing eviction proceedings for other reasons, such as when a tenant engages in criminal activity, destroys property, or otherwise violates provisions in the lease or building code. Under these circumstances, there may be different notice requirements that the landlord must adhere to prior to evicting, and the timeframes set forth in a Notice to Quit are different than in a non-payment of rent matter.

What, exactly, a landlord may recover depends on what he and the tenant agreed to in the lease. An aggrieved landlord should contact a landlord-tenant attorney to review the lease and get a better understanding of what he is entitled to after the eviction moratorium ends.