As BYU moves forward with online Spring term classes, Provo-area landlords are worried that moving classes online in the fall could present an issue to their business. While some apartment complexes have taken laudable steps to alleviate the stress their tenants are dealing with, others have taken a different approach.

“With a decrease in students coming to Provo for classes, we anticipate the need to not raise rent by as much as we were planning.” says a Redstone Residential spokesperson. “It may be the case that we end up only increasing rents by $30-40 per month instead of the $75-100 we were hoping for.”

Some landlords are trying more inventive ways to fill their empty apartments. According to sources, some complexes are exercising a hidden clause in all housing contracts that allows them to automatically extend the term of each contract to August 2045.  “This will allow us to continue to provide ‘quality’ housing to students despite the fact that they no longer want or need the housing.” said one landlord.

When asked about the legality of printing such clauses in white writing on white paper, several landlords threatened to sue me and one threatened that he knew where I lived.