A running list of eviction moratoriums and other tenant protections, and advice for staying safe as a renter during the CoVid-19 epidemic. Brought to you by Augrented, the first AI-driven apartment ratings service.

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The CARES Act

The Federal coronavirus economic recovery package provides surprisingly extensive eviction protection:

The CARES Act provides that for a 120-day period beginning on March 27, 2020 (the “Moratorium Period”), the landlord of a “covered dwelling” cannot (A) make, or cause to be made, any filing to initiate a legal action to recover possession of the covered dwelling from the tenant for nonpayment of rent; and (B) impose any fees, penalties or other charges on a tenant for late payment of rent.

The CARES Act further provides that during the Moratorium Period the landlord of a covered dwelling cannot: (A) require a tenant to vacate a dwelling unit located in the applicable property before the date that is 30 days after the date the tenant is provided a notice to vacate; and (B) may not issue a notice to vacate until after the expiration of the Moratorium Period.

It's only applicable to buildings financed with a Federally backed mortgage (and participants in certain subsidized housing programs), but that is a large share of rental buildings, especially single family homes and small buildings owned by small "mom and pop" landlords. While the only way to tell whether you're covered for sure is to look up your building's mortgage deeds (which are public records and available online in some areas), many other mortgage providers have extended similar "holidays" to landlords.

Summary

There are now so many eviction moratoriums and other measures in place, we made a table so you can find your city or state easily. Let us know if we've missed on! Follow Augrented on Twitter for live updates.

State City/county Measure Link Duration AL Statewide Partial court stoppage Order 30 Days AK Statewide Court stoppage Order Until 3 April AZ Partial eviction moratorium Order 120 Days CA Statewide Partial eviction moratorium Announcement Until 31 May CA Statewide Eviction cases postponed Report Until 90 days after emergency CA San Francisco Partial moratorium Announcement 30 Days CA Alameda Cty (Oakland) Court stoppage Announcement 3 Weeks CA Alameda Cty (Oakland) Eviction hold Tweet 3 Weeks CA Burbank Partial eviction moratorium Order During emergency CA Fresno Eviction court closure Order Until 3 April CA Inglewood Eviction moratorium Order 45 Days CA San Jose Partial evictio moratorium Announcement 30 Days + CA Los Angeles Partial eviction moratorium Announcement CA Pasadena Partial eviction moratorium Announcement During emergency (?) CA Sacramento Council discussions Council Report TBD CA San Bernardino Eviction moratorium Report Until 31 May CA San Diego Eviction moratorium Report 30 Days CA San Francisco Court stoppage Announcement 90 Days CA Santa Monica Eviction moratorium Announcement During state of emergency CA South Lake Tahoe Eviction moratorium Report Until at least 31 May CO Statewide Eviction moratorium Order Until April 30 CO Denver Eviction execution hold Announcement "Temporary" CT Statewide Eviction moratorium Order Until 1 May DC Eviction suspension Announcement Until further notice DE Statewide Partial court stoppage Order Until May 1 FL Statewide Eviction hold Order Until 17 April FL Miami-Dade Eviction warrant hold Report Until Further Notice FL Orange County Eviction warrant hold Report Until Further Notice HI Statewide Court stoppage Order Until 30 April IA Statewide Eviction moratorium Order During emergency ID Statewide Partial court stoppage Order Until further notice IL Statewide Eviction moratorium Order During emergency IL Cook County (Chicago) Eviction hold Announcement 30 Days IL DeKalb County Partial eviction moratorium Order Until 17 April IL Kendall County Partial eviction moratorium Order Until 17 April IN Statewide Eviction moratorium [Order] (https://www.in.gov/gov/files/EO_20-06.pdf) KS Statewide Eviction moratorium Order Until 1 May KY Statewide Court stoppage Announcement Until 10 April LA New Orleans Eviction moratorium Report Until 24 April MA Statewide Court stoppage Tweet Until 21 April MD Statewide Eviction moratorium Announcement During state of emergency ME Statewide Eviction moratorium Order Until 1 May MI Statewide Eviction moratorium Order Until 17 April MI Detroit (36th District Court) Court Stoppage Notice Until Further Notice MN Statewide Eviction moratorium Order During emergency MO Statewide Partial court stoppage Order MT Statewide Non-binding eviction moratorium Order Until April 30 NC Statewide Partial court stoppage Order 30 Days NE Partial eviction moratorium Order Until 31 May NH Eviction moratorium Order During emergency NK Camden County Eviction moratorium Report Until further notice NM Statewide Partial eviction moratorium Notice Temporary NV Statewide Eviction moratorium Report Until further notice NV Henderson County Court stoppage Order 60 Days (cases)/Until 17 April (warrants) NV Las Vegas Eviction hold Order Until further notice NV North Las Vegas Eviction hold Order Until further notice NY Statewide Eviction moratorium Announcement 90 Days from 22 March OH Dayton Court stoppage (evictions) Tweet Until 30 April OR Statewide Partial eviction moratorium Order 90 Days OR Multnomah County (Portland) Eviction moratorium Report 26 March (city)/10 April (county) PA Statewide Eviction moratorium Announcement During judicial emergency RI Eviction moratorium Announcement Until 17 April SC Statewide Eviction moratorium Order Until 1 May TN Statewide Eviction moratorium Order Until 30 April TX Statewide Eviction moratorium Order Until 19 April TX Austin Court stoppage Tweet Until 1 April TX Bexar County Eviction hold Order 30 Days TX Travis County Court/eviction hold Tweet 30 Days (Court)/60 Days (Possession) WA Statewide Partial eviction moratorium Tweet 30 Days WA Seattle Eviction moratorium (non-payment) Order 30 Days WI Dane County Eviction moratorium Report 30 Days

Nationwide

Via Ian Madrigal, news of a call for a nationwide eviction moratorium by Sens Elizabeth Warren and Jeff Merkley:

Senators Elizabeth Warren and Jeff Merkley just called for a national moratorium on evictions, recognizing the economic toll of the coronavirus outbreak on working folks.



This is leadership. Other electeds need to join this effort ASAP. https://t.co/HxvXMPIcv4 pic.twitter.com/26U72MP4CY — Ian Madrigal - The Monopoly Man (@iansmadrig) March 13, 2020

Cities and States with an eviction moratorium

An eviction moratorium can be declared by a State Governor–Andrew Cuomo in New York or Gavin Newsom in California, for instance, or sometimes a Mayor. It's also possible for a law to be passed in a city or state assembly to protect tenants during a crisis.

An eviction moratorium means that no tenants can be evicted while an emergency persists. That protection can be complete–meaning that no-one can be forced from their homes during the coronavirus epidemic–or may only apply to causes for eviction which are directly related to the crisis, in the case of CoVid-19, tenants being unable to pay rent because of quarantines, travel restrictions or their own illness or that of someone they care for.

This list of eviction moratoriums in response to the coronavirus epidemic will be updated regularly as new cities and states pass measures to protect their renters.

California

With probably the nation's strongest tenant protection laws, it's not surprising that California cities like San Francisco have taken the lead in passing tenant protections during the crisis. CA Assemblymember Phil Ting has said he will introduce a bill to prohibit evictions and foreclosures throughout California during the coronavirus crisis. Likewise, prominent housing advocate Scott Weiner (D, San Francisco) has said:

I'm calling on both California and the federal government to immediately place an emergency moratorium on evictions...We're all in this together, and as we move through this emergency, we need to support each other and give each other leeway to focus exclusively on keeping people healthy.

We'll update this blog as these measures move forward.

San Francisco

Via Liam Dillon at the LA Times, we have news of a partial eviction moratorium in San Francisco:

A spokesman for San Francisco Mayor @LondonBreed just told me that by the end of the week she intends to implement an eviction moratorium in the city for anyone who has a loss of income related to the virus, is sick themselves or is affected by school closures (i.e. parents) — Liam Dillon (@dillonliam) March 12, 2020

UPDATE 12/3

Via Sam Lew at 48hills:

Mayor London Breed said she will issue a directive to place a moratorium on evictions in the midst of the coronavirus at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting. The directive follows District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston’s March 6 announcement to introduce legislation doing the same.

UPDATE 3/13:

Surprising news as some of San Francisco's more notorious landlords join the Real Estate Board of New York in a voluntary pause on evictions. Still no word from the SF Apartment Association, however!

Glad to see Veritas / @greentreepmco / @RentSFNow following Sup. @DeanPreston's lead & stopping all nonpayment evictions due to COVID-19. Now, Veritas needs to stop all demo & construction work causing dust in buildings & requiring contractors to enter & exit buildings. pic.twitter.com/TYkpz0Y5d2 — Housing Rights Committee (@housingrightsSF) March 11, 2020

UPDATE #2:

Mayor London Breed announced an eviction moratorium, limited to tenants who can't pay rent because of the coronavirus crisis: it will

prevent any resident from being evicted due to a loss of income related to a business closure, loss of hours or wages, layoffs, or out-of-pocket medical costs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

You can read the full press release here. MORE SOON...

San Jose

As far as we know the first city in the nation to protect tenants during the coronavirus crisis, San Jose was the first city to establish an eviction moratorium. Reporting on the measure's passing, Maggie Angst at the SJ Mercury News reported that Mayor Sam Liccardo said

“I am very mindful that this is going to be a source of pain for some property owners, but I think it’s important for us to recognize that this pain is going to be broadly felt and we have to do everything in our power to try and soften the blow.”

The eviction moratorium in San Jose "will be in effect for at least 30 days and protect residents who can document that they cannot pay rent due to a substantial loss of income related to the virus."

Oakland

Darwin BondGraham reports that "Councilmember Nikki Bas says she's been working on an eviction moratorium."

Oakland Councilmember Nikki Bas says she's been working on an eviction moratorium to protect tenants during the #coronavirus early stages. #OakMtg pic.twitter.com/73HKRwPyAU — Darwin BondGraham (@DarwinBondGraha) March 12, 2020

UPDATE 3/13:

Via the fantastic Housing Rights Committee SF, news that

the council voted unanimously to send a letter to Alameda County Superior Court asking the court to pause all ongoing eviction cases and reject new filings until the council’s next meeting on April 7. Shortly after, Councilwoman Nikki Fortunato Bas proposed an ordinance that would halt evictions caused by coronavirus income disruptions, which will be heard during the next council meeting.

More from Marisa Kendall at the SJ Mercury-News here.

Los Angeles

Again thanks to Liam Dillon, we have news that an eviction moratorium for LA City:

Two LA city council members — @mikebonin and @HerbJWesson — tell me they will propose a temporary moratorium on evictions in the city due to the coronavirus at Tuesday’s meeting. Details still being worked out. Follows similar actions in San Jose, San Francisco, Sacramento — Liam Dillon (@dillonliam) March 12, 2020

Sacramento

There is a measure to be discussed in the Sacramento City Council meeting on Friday 13th March to "prohibit evictions for economically impacted renters."

While it's promising that cities are taking steps to protect "economically impacted" tenants, it's far from enough–no-one should be forced to try to find housing in the middle of the coronavirus epidemic, and we strongly encourage local and state leaders to end all evictions during this emergency.

UPDATE 3/13

The Sacramento City Council will

Implement by March 20, 2020 all legal options available to the City to prohibit the eviction of renters that are economically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, such as through the use of an eviction moratorium, and report back to Council.

Link to the full report (PDF) here.

Thanks to Parker Evans for the news!

UPDATE 2:

Less positive news via Sacramento Tenants' Union (thread):

The tenants of Sacramento will get nothing in the way of an eviction moratorium until at least 3/17. #sacmtg — Sacramento Tenants Union (@SacTenantsUnion) March 13, 2020

New York State

Political leaders have taken up the demand for relief, too: Brooklyn state Senator Julia Salazar and over 20 of her colleagues delivered this letter to the state's judges:

We just sent this letter signed by 24+ NY State Senators urging the courts to issue a moratorium on evictions immediately.

This is a crucial step to protect vulnerable New Yorkers from choosing between protecting their health & defending their homes during this state of emergency pic.twitter.com/eCv4ehAsI5 — Julia Salazar (@JuliaCarmel__) March 12, 2020

If you're in NYC, you should sign this petition from The Right to Counsel NYC Coalition!

UPDATE 3/12:

Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted that, in effect, the NYC right to counsel program will be extended during the crisis:

The human impact will be extensive. We will provide free legal help to anyone facing evictions and provide short term support.



If necessary we will also be activating emergency food contracts and community organizations will increase food aid for lower-income New Yorkers. — Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) March 13, 2020

And via Rachel Holliday Smith and Ese Olumhense at The City, news that Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence K. Marks has advised the NYC courts system to take steps to prevent transmission of the novel coronavirus at courthouses, including not penalizing people who don't show up because they have "flu-like symptoms." Signs warning people not to enter the courtroom if they have possible symptoms or have been exposed to a potential carrier will be posted, but

the courts stopped short of encouraging delays for people who are merely in a high risk category for acquiring infection — such as the elderly and those with underlying health conditions.

"Let’s be as progressive as Florida! That’s all we’re asking."



Courts offer chance to delay eviction and other cases over COVID-19. But, despite petition, there's no full closure or moratorium on hearings.



NEW from @essayolumhense + me: https://t.co/2IlevzFsck pic.twitter.com/KbV37bCjBK — Rachel Holliday Smith (@rachelholliday) March 13, 2020

We'll update this post as soon as any more protections for New York tenants during the coronavirus crisis are passed.

At a state level, here's Senator Brad Hoylman's proposal:

NEW: I'm introducing legislation w/ @BrianKavanaghNY to enact a statewide moratorium on evictions and foreclosures during the #coronaviruspandemic and future emergency declarations.



No one should ever be put at risk & forced to look for shelter during a public health emergency. pic.twitter.com/udJ3aUV39O — Senator Brad Hoylman (@bradhoylman) March 12, 2020

UPDATE 3/13

The Real Estate Board of New York has instituted a voluntary moratorium on evictions for 90 days. We're in shock! Thanks to Josefa Velásquez at The City for the story:

REBNY, the group that represents landlords in New York, pledged to not execute any eviction warrants for the next THREE MONTHS in response to the ongoing coronavirus crisis.



Wow. pic.twitter.com/kfFc7muyqa — Josefa Velásquez (@J__Velasquez) March 13, 2020

UPDATE 2:

ONE WEEK eviction moratorium in NYC. Full details here (PDF).

UPDATE 3/15

Via Georgia Kromrei at The Real Deal, news that there is now a court stoppage until further notice in NY state for all non-emergency cases:

Florida

Miami is reported to have suspended eviction executions, although there is no moratorium on court actions that we know of–this seems to be an action by the Miami-Dade Police Department. Via Doug Hanks at the Miami Herald:

Miami-Dade suspending evictions during coronavirus crisis. pic.twitter.com/e3izQnBnjS — Doug Hanks (@doug_hanks) March 12, 2020

Massachusetts

Boston City Council member Lydia Edwards has called on the Massachusetts state government to implement an eviction freeze:

In light of the #COVID19 public health emergency, I am urging @MassGovernor and Chief Justice Sullivan to issue a moratorium on eviction proceedings. #bospoli #mapoli pic.twitter.com/gUrMWLCByt — Lydia Edwards (@LydiaMEdwards) March 12, 2020

We'll update with any progress on this measure.

UPDATE 3/13

Rep. Mike Connolly shared news that he and a colleague have proposed a state-wide measure to protect Mass tenants during the coronavirus outbreak:

Today I joined with @RepKevinHonan to file legislation to halt all evictions and foreclosures for the duration of the #COVID19 emergency in Massachusetts. We hope the Governor and the Courts will join us in supporting this action to protect the vulnerable. https://t.co/2kzGLDVP2m — Mike Connolly (@MikeConnollyMA) March 13, 2020

UPATE 3/14:

There is a statewide eviction moratorium in Massachusetts!!

The Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Housing Court has issued an order that will postpone most eviction hearings until at least April 21. Thank you to @CityLife_Clvu @BostonLegalAid @LCRBoston @HarvardLegalAid @RepKevinHonan for joining me in advocating for this important step. pic.twitter.com/r8R4VipI3v — Mike Connolly (@MikeConnollyMA) March 15, 2020

Philadelphia, PA

Councilmember Helen Gym has introduced a measure to protect tenants from evictions and utility shut-offs:

Baltimore, MD

Great news - an eviction moratorium has been passed in Baltimore! Thanks to our anonymous tipster for that.

The Baltimore sheriff’s office will stop evicting people from their homes while schools are closed due to concerns about the coronavirus, the mayor announced Thursday night.

Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young, together with the city’s sheriff and a district judge, “put in place a policy to allow people to remain in their homes while schools and many other government buildings are closed due to COVID-19,” according to a news release.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Via GNO Housing Alliance, news of a short eviction moratorium in New Orleans:

All evictions pending in 1st and 2nd City Courts, which cover the east and west banks of Orleans Parish respectively, will be suspended until April 24, according to a court order released by the judges.

Orleans Parish Civil District Court judges are also suspending jury trials until April 24, they said.

Dayton, OH

Via Mayor Nan Whaley:

Today, Dayton Clerk of Courts Mark Owens announced that the court will be suspending eviction cases until April 30th. The City of Dayton will be suspending water shut offs until that date as well. We must keep people in their homes with access to water during this crisis. — Nan Whaley (@nanwhaley) March 13, 2020

Kentucky

Almost all civil cases, including evictions, are on hold:

With the exception of emergency matters and hearings statutorily required to be held, small claims, eviction, juvenile, probate, traffic, and guardianship cases shall be continued.

Note: "continued" means "granted a continuance"–that's legal language for postponed (though yes, it sounds like it could mean "carry on as usual"). Huge thanks to Emily Benfer for the tip & this tweet with the original declaration:

Delaware

Court cases are also on hold in Delaware:

Once again thanks to Emily Benfer for bringing this one to our attention.

Minnesota

Tenant rights group HOME line bring us news that "almost all" eviction cases are on hold:

Update: A statewide court order and announcement from the MN Judicial Branch has now clarified that almost all types of eviction cases will be suspended for 14 days.



More information here: https://t.co/EM2pWLAd4f — HOME Line (@HOME_Line) March 14, 2020

Let's hope landlords don't start calling every case an emergency!

Seattle, WA

Via Councilmember Kshama Sawant, great news from Seattle: it sounds like an eviction moratorium is in place!

Seattle's Mayor just announced moratorium on residential evictions!



After nearly 7,000 signed this petition from my office. When we fight, we win!



KEEP SHARING the petition - let's get to 15K. We still need small biz protection & foreclosure moratorium. https://t.co/DBCC2SF2Kd — Kshama Sawant (@cmkshama) March 14, 2020

Detroit, MI

Via tenant attorney Marie, news of an eviction freeze for at least part of Detroit:

I'm happy 36th District Court (Detroit) is putting a moratorium on most evictions BUT it does not go far enough. Nefarious landlords will use the health hazard exception to bring innocent tenants to court. We need a moratorium on ALL evictions. — Marie (@MarieAtLaw) March 13, 2020

We're looking for more detail on this story.

Austin, TX

City Council Member Gregorio Casar shared the news that Austin has rescheduled all court hearings between now and April 1st, and has imposed a 60 day moratorium on the issuing of writs of possession.

BIG NEWS: Justices of the Peace heard our call to halt/stall evictions during #Covid_19. Evictions & some other proceedings are postponed.



This will keep many people from losing their homes. Folks are still required to pay rent but this buys people time they may need #atxcouncil pic.twitter.com/Cf2z2TQGsm — Gregorio Casar (@GregCasar) March 13, 2020

Other states

Not surprisingly there are calls for an eviction moratorium throughout the United States–even at a Federal level. We'll update this blog as soon as there any new measures are confirmed - if you know of any we've missed, please email or DM us!

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