Housing problem put on pause
Critics say eviction ban in pandemic may push back homelessness, debt
BOSTON — Housing advocates say the Trump administration’s surprise national moratorium on evictions only delays a wave of crushing debt and homelessness, and an attorney representing landlords questions whether the measure is aimed at voters ahead of the November election.
The White House announced last week that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would act to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The measure would forbid landlords from evicting anyone for failure to pay rent, providing the renter meets four criteria.
Critics call it everything from an empty stall tactic to an outright political ploy.
“My first reaction was, ‘Thank God,’ ” said Matthew Hill, an attorney with the Public Justice Center in Baltimore. But he noted that tenants will be expected to repay their rent when the moratorium expires on Jan. 1, and without some kind of rental assistance, “we are just going to be kicking the can down the road.”
Richard Vetstein, the lead attorney representing landlords who are challenging an eviction moratorium in Massachusetts, called the CDC order “convoluted“and poorly drafted.
“It’s a pretty blatant political play by Trump in an election year,” Vetstein said. “It purports to apply nationwide to every residential situation for nonpayment of rent, so that would be many, many millions of rental properties.”
The move is a good first step, said Bill Faith, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio. But the order just “puts the problem on pause.”
“In January, when this would cease to be in place, all of those tenants would still owe all of the rent they owed to start with,” Faith said. “If they are covered by the moratorium and don’t pay what rent they can pay, their hole is thousands of dollars deep.”
Faith also said implementing the order could be “messy,” since it would often fall to local judges to determine if a tenant qualifies. In Ohio alone, that would involve hundreds of housing courts.
The CDC order covers only people who: Have an income of $198,000 or less for couples filing jointly, or $99,000 for single filers.
Demonstrate they have sought government assistance to make their rental payments.
Are unable to pay rent because of COVID-19 hardships.
Are likely to become homeless if they are evicted.
The CDCorder comes as many local and state eviction bans are set to expire. California’s measure was to end last week, but Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation Aug. 31 to extend it through Jan. 31 for people who pay at least 25% of the rent owed during that time.
He described the law as “a bridge to a more permanent solution” from the federal government.
Landlords say the order forces them to shoulder a heavy financial burden.
“It’s great to say nobody can be evicted,” said Mitch Matorin, who is owed $11,400 in back rent on property he owns in Worcester, Massachusetts. “But all that does is push this large societal cost onto the landlords.”
Matorin, a lead plaintiff in the case against the state moratorium, said he has had to dip into savings to make monthly mortgage payments.
A $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill passed in May by Democrats in the House would provide about $175 billion to pay rents and mortgages. A counter proposal from Senate Republicans offers far less.