They didn't pay rent and stole the fridge. Pandemic spawns nightmare tenants

Just before the pandemic, Nitin Bajaj and his wife, Nimisha Lotia, rented an apartment they own in Los Angeles to two young women.

"They were really nice to talk to," Lotia says.

But as soon as the pandemic hit, the new renters, both in their late 20s, stopped paying the rent. Lotia says the young women sent them an email saying that COVID-19 had created a financial hardship and that the city had just imposed an eviction ban — so the renters couldn't be evicted.

"No further explanation," she says. "No calls or nothing, just an email, and I think a snapshot of what the city rule was."

Across the country, more than 20 million Americans lost their jobs as the pandemic took hold. Many fell behind on rent. Eviction moratoriums at the local, state and federal level clearly helped millions of people keep a roof over their heads as they struggled financially. But some other renters took advantage of the protections.