Were you unable to pay April rent?

You still have time to protect yourself from being evicted, but you must act NOW! 

Marin County has created protections for all renters regardless of their immigration status, and includes all rental situations, such as sub-leasers or those who rent a living room. During this time, no one can be evicted for their inability to pay rent due to financial hardship from COVID-19 and Shelter-in-Place. However, you must take 2 important steps to assure these protections.  

1. Notify your landlord in writing within 30 days of rent being due. For example, if your rent was due April 1^st, you have until April 30^th to notify in writing regarding your inability to pay. 
   • This can be by text message, email, or a written letter. Below is a template you can copy and paste into a message to send to your landlord. Simply fill in your personal information where noted in orange. 
2. Along with your message, within seven days of sending the notice to your landlord, send proof that your financial losses were due to causes related to COVID-19 or Shelter-in-Place.  
   • This proof can be something in writing from your employer, or if you work for yourself a statement expressing your loss in income (example letters are included below). If you receive pay stubs you may also send photos of your wage before and after Shelter-in-Place.  

If your landlord harasses you after you have notified regarding your inability to pay rent, or forces you to pay it, that is against the law. Please contact Legal Aid of Marin if you are in this situation at 415.492.0230. Legal Aid of Marin is also available if you have other questions regarding tenant rights or need help sending this written notice to your landlord. 

More resources for Marin tenants are available on the websites of Canal Alliance and Legal Aid of Marin.  

Also, you can get on the waitlist for Marin County rental assistance by calling 415.473.7191 or emailing COVID-19@marincounty.org. 

Examples: 

LETTER TO LANDLORD 

THIS LETTER CAN BE SENT VIA TEXT, EMAIL, OR MAIL.  

Note: It must be sent within 30 days of your rent being due. 

Dear Landlord:  

I, NAME, cannot pay rent for May 2020 due to COVID-19 related reasons. I am notifying you per Marin County Resolution No. 2020-27. Please confirm that you have received this notice. I will submit additional documentation showing loss of wages within 7 days. I reside at: ADDRESS. 

Sincerely, 

NAME 

DATE 

PHONE # 

LETTERS PROVING LOSS OF INCOME 

If you do not have documentation to prove your loss of income as related with COVID-19 (for example, paystubs or bank statements) you can use one of the letters below. Note, this must be sent within seven days of your written notice to the landlord. 

SAMPLE LETTER FOR EMPLOYER TO SIGN  

To Whom It May Concern:  

NAME has worked for me for the past MONTH/YEARS. We have had to reduce their hours from ____ per week to ____ per week because of the impacts of the COVID-19 virus. This has substantially reduced the amount of income he/she has been able to earn.  

Sincerely, 

NAME OF SUPERVISOR/MANAGER 

NAME OF BUSINESS/EMPLOYER 

ADDRESS OF BUSINESS 

SELF-EMPLOYMENT STATEMENT  

I, NAME, confirm that I have been self-employed for MONTHS/YEARS. 

 
The nature of my business is YOUR BUSINESS TYPE. My income is generally: $____ per month. 

As a result of the COVID-19 Crisis and the Shelter- In-Place Order, I have lost some or all of my wages. This letter is to confirm that my current income has been reduced to: $____ per month.  

Sincerely, 
  

NAME  

DATE 

* Sample letters created by Legal Aid of Marin and available in a printable format here.