For motel dwellers, ban on evictions provides no relief
ATLANTA — For more than five years, home for Armetrius Neason has been a hotel outside Atlanta. He’s adorned the walls with dozens of pictures of Black celebrities and icons. It’s the address on his driver’s license and where he receives mail.
But last year as the COVID19 pandemic raged, the hotel accused him of owing $1,800 in back rent and threatened to lock him out, the 58-year- old said.
“I was packing my clothes. I really had nowhere to go,” he recalled.
Efficiency Lodge said Neason — despite his lengthy stay — was a guest it could kick off the property without filing an eviction case in court.
“If you go to a Holiday Inn and you don’t pay your room rate, the next day your key won’t work,” said Roy Barnes, a former Georgia governor and attorney for the lodge, which is co-owned by his brother, Ray Barnes. “It’s the same law.”
Neason’s struggles reflect the heightened risk of home- lessness faced by motel and hotel dwellers during the pandemic, housing attorneys say. Many states do not clearly define when hotel and motel guests become tenants — a designation held by traditional leaseholders that gives them the right to contest an eviction attempt before a judge. Hotel guests, in contrast, can be removed summarily.
The legal gap made motel living riskier than typical home renting even before the pandemic. Now it’s even less stable, the attorneys say. Job losses during the pan- demic have made it harder for millions of Americans to make rent. But hotel guests are excluded from a federal moratorium on evictions for occupied for roughly a year, people facing financial hardaccording to a lawsuit he ship during the coronavirus filed against the property. A outbreak. call and email to an attorney
Hotel and motel residents for Lodge Atlanta, Frank C. in California, Colorado, Flor- Bedinger, was not returned. ida, Louisiana, New Jersey A judge sided with Malone in and Virginia have reported November, saying the hotel being expelled or threathad to file an eviction case ened with immediate evic- against him in court. tion over the past year. At Efficiency Lodge, a pri
“It’s people that are even vate security guard carried more economically vulner- an assault rifle and pointed it able than most low-income at residents as he went doortenants,” said Alexis Erkto-door forcing them to leave ert, an attorney at Southeast in September, according to Louisiana Legal Services in Neason’s attorney, Lindsey New Orleans who has fought Siegel, and a lawsuit he and evictions at motels during another current resident the pandemic. filed against the property.
Hotel owners say they have “I never seen nothing like also taken a hit during the that in my life, just to put a COVID-19 outbreak and need person out on the street,” paying customers to cover Neason said. “You had to expenses. “They just want go then.” their asset and their liveliRoy Barnes disputed that hood protected just like anyresidents were forced out body else,” said Marilou Halat gunpoint, saying secuvorsen, president of the New rity was searching for two Jersey Restaurant and Hospeople wanted for murder. pitality Association. Neason, who works as a
In another recent hotel carpenter, came to the hotel dispute in Georgia, Deme- in 2016 and was paying his tress Malone accused staff at weekly rent of $200, but Lodge Atlanta of removing said a hotel employee told his door, cutting his power, him he didn’t have to pay taking his air conditioning the full amount during the unit and changing his lock pandemic. He was later preafter he had trouble paying sented with a bill for back rent for the room he had rent, he said.