Here’s Where Renters Appear Suddenly Most At Risk For Eviction (Some Southern States Are Especially Vulnerable)

Topline

A national ban on evictions that has been in place for most of the Covid-19 pandemic expired over the weekend, leading experts to warn of a widespread displacement of low-income renters which appears poised to disproportionately impact Southern states. 

Key Facts

Surprising Fact 

The threat to Southern renters is also exacerbated by the landlord-friendly laws and procedures in some parts of the South. For example, Mississippi, with some of the harshest eviction statutes in the nation, allows for tenants to be removed from their homes the same day they lose their cases in court. An eviction is almost automatically ordered if the tenant is even one day behind on rent. 

What To Watch For 

Evictions are also expected to disproportionately impact renters of color as Census Bureau data showed these renters were likely to report their household was not caught up on rent: 24 percent of Black renters, 18 percent of Latino renters, and 18 percent of Asian renters said they were not caught up on rent, compared to 11 percent of white renters. Research published last month also found the risk of eviction to be higher in neighborhoods with low levels of Covid-19 vaccination. 

Contra 

Some renters may be covered by a patchwork of local protections, though the majority that were enacted during the pandemic have already expired. A judge in DeKalb County, Atlanta, on Sunday ordered a two-month long ban on evictions for the Atlanta area. According to the judge, 145 writs of eviction had already been scheduled to be executed in the county, and about 1,650 mre were pending with the local marshal’s office. 

Key Background 

The federal eviction moratorium was ordered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last year to stave off mass evictions amid the Covid-19 pandemic. It offered protections for individuals earning $99,000 or less per year or couples filing jointly that earned $198,000 or less per year. While praised by housing advocates, the moratorium came under increased fire from large landlord trade groups, who argued they were facing their own mounting debts and costs, and was the subject of multiple legal challenges. The Biden administration came under pressure from Democrats late last month to extend the ban after Treasury Department data revealed just $3 billion of the over $46 billion in federal renters aid approved by Congress had been doled out by state and local officials. In the face of this slow rollout and the mounting threat of the delta variant, President Biden—just days before it was set to expire—called on Congress to pass an emergency extension, which he argued his administration couldn’t do itself because of a recent Supreme Court ruling. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has since clapped back, calling on the White House to pass the extension despite Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s suggestion that it would be a federal overstep. 

Chief Critic 

“It is clear that the Senate is not able to [extend the ban], and any legislation in the House, will not be sufficient,” Pelosi said in a joint statement with Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) and Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) issued Sunday night. “Action is needed, and it must come from the administration.” 

Further Reading 

“Biden Asks Congress To Extend CDC Eviction Moratorium In 11th Hour Pivot” (Forbes) 

“Biden Administration Under Fire For Delays On Rental Aid With Just 6.5% Distributed As End Of Eviction Moratorium Looms” (Forbes)

“Supreme Court Leaves National Eviction Moratorium In Place — For Now” (Forbes)

“Neighborhoods with Highest Eviction Filing Rates have Lowest Levels of COVID-19 Vaccination” (The Eviction Lab)