CDC extends COVID-related eviction moratorium a month. Will North Carolina follow suit?
Tenants at risk of displacement due to the COVID-19 pandemic are protected from eviction for one more month, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended its nationwide moratorium Thursday until July 31.
CDC says it will be the last extension.
The order was set to expire on Wednesday.
This is the fourth extension of the moratorium, which began in September of last year to help curb the spread of COVID-19 among evicted and displaced people.
Studies show that evictions from last summer, when there was no moratorium in North Carolina, led to over 15,000 COVID-19 cases and 300 deaths, The News & Observer reported in December.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a historic threat to the nation’s public health. Keeping people in their homes and out of crowded or congregate settings — like homeless shelters — by preventing evictions is a key step in helping to stop the spread of COVID-19,” the CDC said in extending the order.
But it’s intended to be the last extension as rental assistance is widely available.
Housing advocates have said tenants need more time for the rental aid to be allocated.
“The resources are there. Folks just need a little bit more time to access them,” said Samuel Gunter, executive director of the N.C. Housing Coalition. “I think it’s appropriate to extend it for a month.”
Rental assistance programs on the county level in Wake and Durham are accepting applications as well.
Over 180,000 households in North Carolina are behind on rent, with an average household debt of $2,700, according to analysis of May’s U.S. Census Household Pulse Survey from National Equity Atlas, which studies social equity among states and regions.
Where North Carolina stands
Gov. Roy Cooper’s statewide eviction moratorium, which has been in line with CDC’s moratorium, is still set to expire on June 30.
But each time the CDC has extended its order, Cooper has followed suit with the statewide order.
Cooper’s office has not responded to The N&O to comment on the CDC order being extended and whether he plans to extend the state’s order. Earlier this week though, the governor’s office told The N&O in an emailed statement that Cooper would decide before June 30.
Anyone who was been accepted into the HOPE program, even if they have not received funding yet, is protected from eviction during and 60 days after during the rental aid payment period.
If Cooper does not extend the statewide order, the CDC’s nationwide order still takes effect in North Carolina.
Criticism of eviction moratorium
N.C. Treasurer Dale Folwell called on Cooper Thursday to allow the order to expire next week.
He told the N&O that since landlords haven’t been able to rely on rent income, many have been unwilling to rent. He argued that this has decreased affordability in the housing market.
“If you talk to the average landlord, in the average part of North Carolina, who typically based their relationship on the trust between them and the renter that they will provide them shelter in return for getting paid, I think you will quickly realize that this moratorium has had some very negative unintended consequences,” Folwell said.
He said one of those consequences was the rental inventory shrinking, reducing affordability.
Folwell also said that the lost income has caused landlords to be unable to pay their expenses on their rental property.
“There’s no money coming in to pay the mortgage and property taxes,” Folwell said.
Many groups that represent landlords and housing providers have said that eviction allows property owners to find a tenant who can pay rent.
Last week, the North Carolina Association of Realtors sent a letter to Cooper, urging him not to extend the order.
The National Association of Realtors issued a statement on Thursday in opposition to the CDC’s extension, saying that the order hurts smaller landlords and threatens stability in the housing market.
“We are extremely disappointed the CDC has decided to extend its eviction moratorium for another month, continuing a broad, overreaching policy,” the statement reads. “We will continue pushing for reforms to improve deployment of rental assistance, which remains the best solution for all parties.”
Federal agencies encourage eviction diversion
As part of the CDC moratorium extension, President Joe Biden’s administration announced guidance on the federal level in an effort to prevent evictions.
The U.S. Treasury issued updated guidance Thursday on how rental assistance providers can work to prevent eviction.
Among those is helping homeless families get access to aid, removing language barriers in the rental assistance process, and streamlining payments to landlords who own numerous properties.
The U.S. Department of Justice sent a letter to state and local courts encouraging them to adopt policies that would prevent eviction.
That includes requiring landlords to apply for rental aid before filing an eviction, extending time in pending cases and working with legal service providers to raise awareness of rental assistance available.
This story was originally published June 24, 2021 at 11:48 AM.