Landlords upset over county’s ban on evictions
When he bought a West Side apartment building last year, Robinson-based landlord Dan Costantino said he inherited a tenant who has never paid the $725-amonth rent. He believes the man has been taking advantage of federal moratoriums and court orders banning evictions.
“He told me, ‘You will never get rid of me. The government says I can live here as long as I want,’ ” said Mr. Constantino, who owns about 100 rental units across Allegheny County. “I’m literally getting mocked by someone who
PHOENIX — Tenant advocates and court officials were gearing up Friday for what some fear will be a wave of evictions and others predict will be just a growing trickle after a U.S. Supreme Court action allowing lockouts to resume.
The high court’s conservative majority late Thursday blocked the Biden administration from enforcing a temporary ban placed because of the coronavirus pandemic. The action ends protections for about 3.5 million people in the United States who say they faced eviction in the next two months, according to U.S. Census Bureau data from early August.
“We are incredibly disappointed in the Supreme Court ruling and ask Congress and Governor (Doug) Ducey to take action to prevent what will likely be tragic outcomes for thousands of Arizona families,” said Cynthia Zwick, executive director of the nonprofit organization Wildfire that is helping distribute government rental assistance in Arizona.
“Lives are literally at risk as the pandemic continues to surge and families lose their homes, especially during this time of extreme heat,” she said, referring to Phoenix’s triple-digit temperatures.
Wildfire is encouraging tenants to keep applying for rental aid and “work with their landlords to develop plans for making payments until the assistance is available,” she said.
But some local officials around the U.S. say the court’s action is unlikely to set off a flood of evictions.
Scott Davis, spokesman for the Maricopa County Justice Courts, said he doesn’t expect anything dramatic soont. He said how it plays out depends on how landlords and their attorneys decide to handle cases and that courts were prepared for whatever happens.
“We know that eviction case filings over the last 17 months are down about 50% from pre-pandemic,” Mr. Davis said. “Will filings bounce back to 100% of the norm? Will they exceed the norm to make up for filings which landlords withheld during the pandemic? Some believe there will be a large flood of case activity; others believe it will be just a light sprinkle, which builds gradually over time. Again — it’s up to landlords.”