Biden Administration Extends Eviction Moratorium, Implements Stronger Eviction Protections

"The Biden administration announced today that it will extend the federal eviction moratorium issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through July 31, and it will implement a whole-of-government approach to prevent a historic wave of evictions this summer," according to a press release from the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC). "Extending the eviction moratorium through July gives state and local governments more time to distribute more than $46 billion in emergency rental assistance (ERA) to those most in need." The CDC says the extension is intended to be the last in a series of moratoriums meant to prevent evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additional actions include:

• Convene a summit to bring together local teams to develop eviction-prevention action plans.
• Issue new guidance from Treasury for the ERA program to accelerate and broaden state and local delivery of funds.
• Have the Department of Justice send guidance to state courts encouraging them to adopt anti-eviction diversion practices.
• Provide guidance from HUD to help prevent Fair Housing Act violations related to evictions.
• Activate a whole-of-government effort to raise awareness about emergency rental assistance, tapping agencies including Treasury, HUD, CFPB, DOJ, and USDA to inform tenants and landlords of available support.

According to NLIHC, "At least 6 million renter households are still behind on rent: state and local governments must use the next month to quickly and aggressively strengthen their emergency rental assistance programs to avert an historic wave of evictions this summer and fall."