COVID-19 may have opened the door for landlords to harass tenants, advocates say
Job losses caused by COVID-19 have left tenants across South Carolina struggling to make rent. As the threat of eviction looms large, advocates fear that the pandemic may leave more renters vulnerable to sexual harassment from their landlords.
“The landlord is in a position of power,” said Melinda Taylor, a staff attorney at South Carolina Legal Services who has worked on cases dealing with sexual harassment in housing. “If that landlord decides to harass his tenant, he knows they’re unlikely to do anything about it because he could then turn around and file an eviction.”
Landlord sexual abuse has traditionally been a problem for the most vulnerable renters — including immigrants, sex workers and those with substance abuse problems — because they are more likely to live in unstable housing situations. But Jada Charley, executive director of SAFE Homes Rape Crisis Coalition, said in recent months her organization has received several calls from victims who do not fit that mold.
“It might be people who previously worked and had lost their job and their landlords were asking them to perform sexual favors in lieu of rent,” she said. “In a pandemic it’s very important to keep your housing so they might be more motivated than normal to do whatever it takes.”
One woman, who asked to remain anonymous, called SAFE Homes after her landlord sent her a text message propositioning her for sex.
When the pandemic started, the woman’s roommate moved back in with her family, leaving the caller unable to pay for rent on her own. She contacted her landlord to see if she could break her lease without it affecting her credit, and he asked her to go on a date. After she rejected his invitation, “he told her she could work off her debt on her back,” Charley said.
Victims of landlord sexual harassment are protected under the federal Fair Housing Act as well as the South Carolina Fair Housing Law.
“Sexual harassment creates a hostile housing environment and discriminates against individuals on the basis of gender because typically you would do it to one gender and not the other,” said Adam Protheroe, a litigation attorney for South Carolina Appleseed Justice Center.
Still, Protheroe said these cases rarely get taken to court because most people aren’t informed about their legal rights.
Patricia Ravenhorst, general counsel for the South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, said one common misconception is that there has to be some form of physical assault in order to justify a complaint.
“Sexual pressure is a lead up to sexual violence,” she said, “And that’s something that we want people to know is not okay and there is something they can do about it, especially before a landlord takes an eviction action.”
In 2018, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development and the federal Department of Justice created a joint task force to combat sexual harassment in housing and spread awareness about the issue.
In response to the coronavirus, U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country are stepping up their outreach efforts to help inform the public about their rights.
“For too long, people have been putting their heads in the sand to pretend that there isn’t sexual harassment in housing,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Rob Sneed. “The Department of Justice takes this issue very seriously. We want people to know that every complaint will be evaluated and appropriate action will be taken.”
Both HUD and the DOJ have formal complaint processes for victims to report sexual harassment. South Carolina residents can also report harassment through the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission.
Though representatives from all three agencies said they have not seen a significant uptick in complaints since the pandemic started, Charley said sometimes the data doesn’t tell the full story.
“The problem is more than likely a lot larger than whatever we’re seeing because that is the way that these kinds of crimes work,” she said. “They thrive in darkness.”
Protheroe encouraged potential victims of sexual harassment to document any inappropriate behavior from their landlords and seek legal counsel as soon as possible.
For those who cannot afford a lawyer, he recommended reaching out to South Carolina Legal Services. Ravenhorst, from South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, said her group also has a legal assistance fund for survivors who have contacted one of the coalition’s 22 member organizations.
“It’s really heartbreaking when you talk to somebody that’s endured this and it’s way too late to do something about it,” Protheroe said. “Hopefully this moment may bring more of these cases to light.”
Resources for survivors of sexual harassment, assault and rape:
- Serving Abbeville, Greenwood and Laurens counties
- 864-961-6700
- Serving Bamberg, Calhoun and Orangeburg counties
- 800-293-7228
Cumbee Center to Assist Abused Persons
- Serving Aiken, Allendale, Barnwell, Edgefield, McCormick and Saluda counties
- 803-949-0480
- Serving Kershaw and Lee counties
- 1-800-585-4455
- Serving Anderson and Oconee conties
- 1-864-231-7273
- Serving Allendale, Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper counties
- 800-637-7273
- Serving Greenville county
- 864-467-3633
Palmetto Citizens Against Sexual Assault and Children’s Advocacy Center
- Serving Chester, Farfield and Lancaster counties
- 803-286-5232
Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
- Serving Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Marlboro, Sumter and Williamsburg counties
- 1-800-273-1820
- Serving Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties
- 843-745-0144
Pickens County Advocacy Center
- Serving Pickens county
864-442-5500
Rape Crisis Center of Horry and Georgetown Communities
- Serving Horry and Georgetown counties
843-448-7273
SAFE Homes Rape Crisis Coalition
- Serving Cherokee and Spartanburg counties
- 1-800-273-5066
- Serving Chester, Lancaster, Union and York counties
- 800-329-2800
Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands
- Serving Clarendon, Lexington, Newberry, Richland and Sumter counties
- 803-771-7273
This story was originally published August 3, 2020 at 10:48 AM with the headline "COVID-19 may have opened the door for landlords to harass tenants, advocates say."
