Landlord threatens to raise tenants’ rent if Biden elected
Residents at a Colorado trailer park claim they were told their rent would double if the former VP wins the 2020 presidential election.
A Colorado landlord allegedly threatened his tenants by sending them a letter saying their rent would double if former vice president Joe Biden is elected.
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9NEWS reported residents of the Colorado trailer park emailed the letter from their landlord to the news outlet questioning whether or not the threat was legal. They say despite the landlord’s disclaimer, sending the missive in the first place appears to be a form of voter suppression.
The community living in the Fort Morgan trailer park was told not only will their rent rise but were warned of a cost of living increase across the board if Biden becomes president.
“Please understand IF Joe Biden is elected as our next President, everything you do and have to pay for will change completely,” the letter declares, according to the news outlet. “Everything will be increased. Like paying ALOT (sic) more in taxes, utilities, gasoline, groceries, new permits, fees, and regulations…everything! This also means YOUR RENT will be increased to cover these expenses. Most likely, rent would DOUBLE in price!”
According to 9NEWS, the Colorado Secretary of State’s office confirmed they have received a complaint and passed the information to the attorney general’s office.
Cindy Marquez, a resident of the trailer park, told 9News she has resided there for 20 years with her family and has never experienced any political pressure from the landlord.
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Marquez said she received the letter, dated Oct. 19, and after translating it for her parents, immediately called her neighbors. Doubling the cost of rent could mean possible eviction for many tenants.
“It was mainly hurtful, you know? How could someone say something like that or basically threaten us according to something that we can’t control?” she said to 9NEWS. “Our family lives paycheck to paycheck and right now we barely make things out with what we get.”
The intimidating letter not only attempts to undermine the Biden-Harris campaign with the threat of higher rent, but it also promises to keep prices the same if President Donald Trump is reelected.
“IF the current President is re-elected, WE WILL NOT RAISE THE RENT FOR AT LEAST 2 YEARS!” the letter promised. “Voting is your choice and we are not telling you how to vote. We are just informing our tenants what WE will do according to the election results.”
The letter closed by saying “If Trump wins, we all win. If Biden wins, we all lose,” before it encouraged residents to vote on Election Day.
“I mean, we can’t control how this whole election goes,” Marquez said to 9NEWS. “We can’t control what everyone else does, you know? We can’t control the results.”
According to FiveThirtyEight, Biden currently leads Trump in Colorado polls by 16 points.
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