CDC extends housing moratorium for 60 days

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many services and responsibilities were put on hold while America was adjusting to this new way of life. Businesses shut down, many people lost work, and even bills stopped being paid. As we make an attempt to return to some level of normalcy, many of these responsibilities will have to be put back into place, which, to the dismay of many, leads to the end of the eviction moratorium or so we thought.

Shortly into the pandemic, a pause was put on rent payments due to the shortage of work and people having to find a way to afford necessities like food. While some people still continued to pay their rent at some capacity, others took this opportunity to completely neglect payments and use those extra funds for their leisure. A landlord in North Carolina told Fox News that he has lost $24,000 during the eviction moratorium, claiming that his tenants are spending money on other things. 

“[The money] was used, they went and bought brand new boats, but I mean, you know in a time of crisis like what we’ve been through, you’re evidently getting money from somewhere, but it’s not getting to me,” said property owner Buddy Shoup, “It goes way beyond the loss of rental income, we’re still bound by county rules and laws, we have to maintain the property.”

On the other hand, a tenant in North Carolina complained that she was not able to afford basic needs in order to pay her rent on time throughout the pandemic and her landlord rewarded her with a notice to vacate. Although the tenant asked to purchase the property prior to the pandemic, the landlord decided to sell the property to someone other than her. Since she was on a month-to month lease, the tenant and her family will have to search for new housing during an escalating pandemic with barely a month’s notice.

While many Americans are getting vaccinated, it seems as if we are on the right trajectory to return to normal, which led to the Supreme Court ruling that the CDC’s eviction moratorium must end on July 31st. However, with the emergence of the new Delta variant of COVID-19 and spikes in new cases, many feel like we should keep certain COVID protocols in place in preparation for another potential lockdown. 

On August 4th, the CDC announced that they will extend the housing moratorium for another 60 days. Progressive congress members Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Cori Bush advocated all weekend for the housing moratorium to remain in place, going as far as staging a five-day protest at the U.S Capitol. 

Rep. Bush tweeted on Tuesday “On Friday night, I came to the Capitol with my chair. I refused to accept that Congress could leave for vacation while 11 million people faced eviction. For 5 days, we’ve been out here, demanding that our government acts to save lives,”

Although a great temporary solution, many hope that there will be a more permanent ruling in the near future while we are on the cusp of another potential outbreak. Laws instituted that will give a tenant the first right of refusal to purchase the property they are living in could help.