‘Spike’ in evictions looming as ban expires

A federal ban on evictions is set to expire at the end of July, and this time it’s unlikely to be extended, putting millions of renters at risk.

The moratorium has been in place through much of the pandemic, but it’s part of a wave of emergency programs ending even as the Delta variant fuels rising covid-19 cases in the U.S.

While some states, including California and New York, have their own eviction bans, the expiration of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s moratorium has housing advocates worried about a surge in landlords forcing out tenants who have fallen behind on rent.

Congress has allocated nearly $47 billion in assistance but so far states and local jurisdictions have been slow to distribute the funds.

federal assistance and uncertainty among landlords about finding new tenants.

But there are still a lot of renters behind on rent, and some of them are far behind on rent and at risk of losing their homes, especially if they’ve reached the end of their lease.

The Census Pulse Survey suggests that 16% of renters owe back rent.

This is down from a peak of over 20% in January, but a lot of renters are still facing hardships, particularly renters of color and renters with children. Nearly one in four Black renters report being behind on rent.

A key factor will be whether the hundreds of state and local emergency rental assistance programs around the country can get these funds out the door quickly enough.

The hardest-to-reach renters are also the most vulnerable to eviction, and that group is large enough to cause an unprecedented spike in eviction filings, warrants and, ultimately, homelessness if we don’t remain focused on getting them and their landlords the assistance Congress has made available.