West DFW News

In an effort to keep the businesses running that make his business possible, Brent Jackson, president of Dallas-based Oaxaca Interests, has offered tenants three months free rent, but it might not be enough.

The move by Jackson isn’t completely unusual, according to reporting by WFAA. 

Landlords all over have been trying to work with their tenants to help keep them in business and in their spaces as the government’s COVID-19 response has ground economies all over the state to an absolute halt.

"We’re all truly in this together. While this will have a short-term impact on all of us, it was the longer-term view that prevailed," Jackson said.

Jackson would not say just how much the company is losing in the offer, but said they decided on a number that would be more than lip service, and actually be a real help to their tenants.

"We started thinking about this early in the news cycle before it was announced as a pandemic,” Jackson said.

"If we can get through the pandemic in the next few weeks, the financial recovery could take a full 90 days,” he said. “We don't want to go back through this every month. It would be counterproductive and gets in the psyche of our tenants."

Jackson said it has also been important that customers have continued to support local businesses in whatever ways they can.

Yet, the free rent has not been enough for all the businesses that rent from Jackson’s company.

"It's incredibly helpful, and we learned about it just before we closed that location. Traffic was down significantly, and we were operating at a loss," said Matt Shook, founder and CEO of JuiceLand. 

Shook said his company has had a 75% decline overall in revenue, and they have had to close a total of 23 locations across Texas.