Residential evictions for most renters will be banned through June 2021 under a new directive from the Biden administration.
The moratorium, issued today under the authority of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), applies to individuals with incomes of $99,000 or less and couples filing jointly with incomes of $198,000 or less. That threshold applies either to expected earnings in 2021 or actual income in 2020. This is an extension of an eviction ban put in place under the Trump administration.
The move is part of the massive relief in response to the COVID-19 epidemic that has closed businesses and thrown millions of people out of work. The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed more than 500,000 lives in the United States.
While the spread of the disease has slowed in recent months, the CDC said the crisis is far from over.
“Despite higher rates of vaccine coverage, the simultaneous rollback of community mitigation efforts may continue to expose vulnerable populations, such as those targeted in this order, to higher-than-average COVID-19 rates,” the CDC said in a statement.
To avoid eviction, renters must certify that they are unable to pay their rent due to the coronavirus and that they would become homeless if they are forced to leave their homes. They also must state that they made their best effort to obtain other government assistance to pay their rent and that they are currently paying as much rent as they can afford.
At the end of the moratorium, renters under the program must make up missed payments to their landlords, according to the agency.
“Nothing in this Order precludes the charging or collecting of fees, penalties, or interest as a result of the failure to pay rent or other housing payment on a timely basis, under the terms of any applicable contract,” the order stated.
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