Coronavirus USA: Which states have suspended evictions during pandemic?
As the month of May began many Americans were left wondering how to pay their rent as the United States remains on lockdown due to Covid-19.
For millions of Americans the beginning of the new month means rents are due and the majority of those who have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic won’t be able to make that payment. Almost a third of Americans weren’t able to pay their rent on time in April. That figure is likely to increase in May.
Thousands of people across the United States planned protests for Friday, calling on the government to cancel rent during the pandemic. The hashtag #CancelRent has been trending on Twitter. More than 30 million Americans have filed for unemployment in the past six weeks, and in the last week alone, about 3.8 million people lost their jobs.
Some tenants are vowing to go on a rent strike until the coronavirus pandemic subsides. Some states have already pressed pause on all evictions, and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will let landlords defer mortgage payments if they do not evict tenants.
In many states, including Texas, evictions have been suspended in most cases. This will temporarily prevent landlords from evicting tenants for failing to pay rent.
State-By-State guide
Alabama
The Alabama Supreme Court has suspended all in-person state and local court proceedings, something that is delaying eviction hearings and buying time for tenants. Gov. Kay Ivey's office has not eliminated the possibility of a statewide freeze on evictions.
Arizona
On March 24, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey issued an executive order delaying evictions for 120 days. Arizona launched a Rental Eviction Prevention Assistance Program this week with $5 million in new funding. Anyone who has lost income because of coronavirus can apply if they make less than the area median income adjusted for family size.
California
Both renters and homeowners are safe from evictions until May 31 thanks to a mid-March executive order from Gov. Gavin Newsom. In addition, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti froze rents for the city's more than 620,000 rent-stabilized units.
Delaware
Delaware took a big step to help residents struggling with their bills last week when Gov. John Carney announced eligible households can qualify for up to $1,500 paid straight to their landlord or utility company.
Illinois
Illinois law enforcement will not enforce eviction orders for the duration of the crisis, according to Gov. J.B. Pritzker's executive order in March. In Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot is deploying $2 million in one-time grants to help 2,000 people make their rent or mortgage payments.
Michigan
Michigan has stopped evictions for tenants and mobile homeowners until April 17.
New Jersey / New York
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered an eviction moratorium shortly after Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's announcements.
Pennsylvania
Evictions are prohibited in Pennsylvania until April 30 due to an order from the state's Supreme Court. Nearly one million Pennsylvanians had filed unemployment claims as of Thursday, pointing to the difficult road ahead.