Although the national ban on evictions is now over, a number of states have issued their own protections for renters that will last for months more.
These local policies can buy tenants time to get approved for federal rental assistance and help them to stay in their homes.
States and cities have been slow to get out the $45 billion in aid allocated by Congress to address the renters’ crisis wrought by the coronavirus pandemic. Those funds were authorized in the last two major stimulus packages, passed in December and March, and yet just $3 billion has reached households, according to data by the U.S. Treasury.
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“It’s horrifying,” said Emily Benfer, a national expert on evictions. “Millions of families are facing a loss of their homes.”
State protections still in effect
To begin, at least four states – Massachusetts, Nevada, New York and Oregon – are temporarily banning evictions of those with a pending rental assistance application.
If you haven’t applied for the aid yet and are worried about eviction, you should do so as soon as possible, experts say. The National Low Income Housing Coalition has a state-by-state list of the 484 programs giving out the aid.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau also has a new tool to help you apply for rental relief. If you’re approved, you could get up to 18 months of your rent covered.
Evictions are still banned in some places.
Illinois’ eviction moratorium will be in effect through August, and Maryland’s until Aug. 15. The eviction ban in Hawaii expires on Aug. 6.
In California, where as many as 1.6 million renters may be in arrears, most landlords can’t move forward with evictions until October.
In Washington, D.C., landlords can’t begin evictions again until Aug. 26, and only at that point if they’d filed the paperwork prior to the pandemic. In these cases, you must be given 30 days notice. Other evictions in D.C. can’t resume until Oct. 12, and you must be provided with at least 60 days notice.
New York has extended its eviction moratorium until September for tenants who’ve endured a Covid-related setback or for whom moving could pose a health risk. To qualify, renters must submit a hardship form to their landlord.
Renters in New Jersey can’t be kicked out of their homes until January.
Other state policies are a little more complicated, but can help renters stay in their homes nonetheless.
For example, renters in Oregon can’t be evicted for rent owed between the months of April 2020 and June 2021, and they have until the end of February 2022 to make up those payments.
Similarly, in Washington, landlords are not allowed to serve an eviction for rental arrears racked up between Feb. 29, 2020 and July 31, 2021.
Meanwhile, in Connecticut, landlords can’t move forward with an eviction unless they’ve applied for federal rental assistance. And if they file an eviction before October, they need to provide tenants with 30 days’ notice.
The rules can get complicated fast, and sometimes landlords ignore them.
Anyone at risk of eviction should seek free legal help, experts say. You can do so at LawHelp.org or with the Legal Services Corporation.