Many people are concerned about a flood of evictions in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court order that ended the CDC eviction moratorium. While some evictions are likely to happen, on the eve of that order, the Department of Treasury relaxed requirements to qualify for Emergency Rental Assistance, which should help some landlords and tenants who can't pay rent. And it's likely that state and local governments will react with their own eviction moratoriums to prevent an eviction crisis in their communities.
Read MoreThe CDC Eviction Moratorium protected tenants from eviction until the U.S. Supreme Court ended it on August 26, 2021. However, the Moratorium's requirements didn’t protect tenants from rent increases. And because the Moratorium lacked standards to determine what tenants can afford and doesn't require them to provide financial documents, some tenants may have falsely claimed eligibility. This article serves as a cautionary tale about loopholes and pitfalls of COVID-19 eviction moratoriums generally.
Read MoreIt sometimes was challenging for tenants to meet CDC eviction moratorium requirements, just as it can be challenging for landlords to pursue permissible evictions. Although the CDC eviction moratorium now has ended, this article’s guidance may also be applicable to state and local eviction moratoriums patterned after the CDC moratorium.
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