Wall Street Journal housing reporter Will Parker outlines why eviction filings did not surge following the end of the CDC’s eviction moratorium as many suggested.
One reason that didn’t happen is because rental-assistance programs are now putting out more money and landlords are eager to get the funds, said Doug Bibby, president of the National Multifamily Housing Council, a landlord trade group. About 20% of $46.5 billion in available federal rent aid has been approved or paid to landlords and tenants, Mr. Bibby said.
Nearly half of renters nationally still lived in areas with eviction bans or other pandemic eviction protections after the federal ban ended, according to the Urban Institute, a Washington housing think tank. California’s statewide eviction ban has since ended, though landlords must apply for rental assistance before a court can issue an eviction summons.
Local governments have made other changes that have limited eviction filings. Philadelphia requires landlords to go through out-of-court mediation and apply for rental assistance before they can file for an eviction. The assistance program there has received about 65,000 applications this year.
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