Just Me

How would you guys handle this situation?

My father owned a two family house. He lived on the top floor and had the same tenant on the ground floor for 3 years. She had always been a great tenant, very clean, quiet and polite and for the most part paid her rent on time. Well, my Dad got sick a while back and I quit my job and moved home to care for him. He died a few months later and I inherited the house.

About a month after Dad died the tenant contacted me and said that she was short on money and could not pay that month’s rent. She’s a single mom, full time student and part time bar tender, so I told her not to worry, just to pay when she could. The same thing happened the next month, but she said she had applied for rent assistance, and would pay when she could. I agreed to that thinking it would just be a matter of weeks. Well, it’s been 9 months and I have still not received any rent.

She is a really nice person, and otherwise a great tenant and I do feel bad for her. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find a new job yet myself, and covering property taxes, plus water, gas and electric for both apartments (utilities were included in the rent) is getting beyond what I can afford with no income.

I don’t want to evict her, but I do need the rent. How do I bring up the subject without looking greedy or embarrassing her?

Thanks for your advice!

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