End of tenant relief in New York: moratorium on evictions expires and 500,000 people could be made homeless

The moratorium on evictions will end in New York, raising alarm bells over the fate of some 500,000 tenants who owe months of unpaid rent and could be left homeless., As reported The New York Times.

After keeping evictions on hold during the first stage of the pandemic, the eviction mechanism in New York City, one of the world’s most expensive housing markets, “is likely to start to soar again soon.” , the publication said.

For about 16 months, Tenants in New York City have been protected from eviction under various protections imposed by the United States Federal Government and New York State to keep people at home during the pandemic.

However, this assistance should end, so tenants who owe months of rent could be left homeless.

Nearly 500,000 households in New York are in rent arrears that collectively total more than $ 2.2 billion, according to an analysis of census data by the National Equity Atlas, a research group associated with the University of Southern California.

At the same time, the publication explained that the financial challenges faced by many tenants put pressure on small landlords who depend on rent to pay their own bills.

He added that the federal moratorium, enacted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, had been extended several times during the pandemic, but is now expected to end in late July. After an additional one-month extension in June, the agency said protections would likely expire for good this month.

Nearly 500,000 households in New York are in rent arrears that collectively total more than $ 2.2 billion

In this context, He noted that tenants in New York state will receive another month of protection under a state eviction moratorium that expires in late August.

New York state has set aside $ 2.7 billion in financial assistance, much of it from the federal government, that tenants can apply for through an app launched by the state in June.

In total, more than 62,000 eviction cases have been filed in the New York City Housing Court since the start of the pandemic.

“If your claims are approved, up to one year of unpaid rent will be covered, as well as one year of unpaid utilities. Low-income tenants may be entitled to an additional three months rent. Payments go directly to the owner “, detailed the publication.

And he added that to qualify, households must earn less than 80% of the region’s median income, or less than $ 95,450 for a family of four in New York City. Additionally, he said landlords who accept the money cannot, in most cases, increase the rent or attempt to evict the tenant for at least a year.

So far, more than 160,000 completed applications have been filed in New York state, of which about three-quarters have come from tenants and landlords in New York City, the state said.

In total, more than 62,000 eviction cases have been filed in the New York City Housing Court since the start of the pandemic, according to the Princeton University Eviction Laboratory.

What’s more, the number of cases in New York represents 20% of all eviction cases filed in the 29 cities tracked by the Eviction Laboratory, a group that includes other major cities like Austin, Houston and Phoenix.

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