Palm Beach County landlord waives off rent following Hurricane Irma

LAKE WORTH, Fla. (CBS12) Several local tenants are thanking their landlord who put their safety before her monthly income.

Colleen Chennell owns an apartment building in Lake Worth, a place many families call home.

The moment Chennell found out Hurricane Irma was going to wreak havoc on Florida, she immediately thought about her tenants.

“I said get your gas, get your food, whatever you need to do,” Chennel said.

Chennell initially gave them an extra two weeks to pay the rent, but after learning most of them were without work for days, she wanted to do more.

“They are blue collar workers, a lot of them,” she said. “I said no work, oh my gosh, no money. I said, ‘You are good until Oct. 1. I will write you a receipt saying zero balance due.'”

As a token of gratitude, the families teamed up to clean up Chennell’s property.

“There were trees falling in the back so we helped her cut it and put it in the front and clean up the land,” said Carlos, one of Chennell’s tenants.

The gesture moved Chennell.

“They don’t consider this renting, they consider this their home,” she said.

The kindness they expressed for each other shows their relationship goes beyond business. It’s a friendship.

“I know my tenants respected me, but I think they love me.”