The Trump administration has ordered a temporary halt on evictions through the end of the year as the nation continues to struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic and faces a wave of people at risk of losing their homes.
The order made through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says renters who meet certain conditions cannot be evicted “if they have affirmatively exhausted their best efforts to pay rent, seek government rental assistance, and are likely to become homeless due to eviction,” according to the White House.
The moratorium applies to individuals who earn $99,000 or less, couples filing jointly that earn no more than $198,000, or those who received a stimulus check earlier this year.
The new ban is being met with a mixed response from advocates for low-income residents as well as organizations representing the multifamily housing industry.
A national moratorium on evictions for nonpayment of rent is overdue and an essential step, but it’s a “half measure that extends a financial cliff for renters to fall off of when the moratorium expires and back rent is owed,” according to Diane Yentel, president and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition.
“This action delays but does not prevent evictions,” she says. “Congress and the White House must get back to work on negotiations to enact a COVID-19 relief bill with at least $100 billion in emergency rental assistance. Together with a national eviction moratorium, this assistance would keep renters stably housed and small landlords able to pay their bills and maintain their properties during the pandemic.”
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