As part of the CARES Act, Congress enacted a 120-day eviction moratorium that applied to rental properties receiving federal assistance. After that moratorium expired, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, issued an order implementing a broader eviction moratorium that applied to all rental properties nationwide. The current order is set to expire on June 30, 2021. The coalition said in the letter the broad financial assistance provided through relief bills, including Emergency Rental Assistance Program funds, expanded unemployment insurance and direct stimulus checks, has helped avoid a financial catastrophe and provided a path to recovery for individuals, households and businesses alike.
“As the pandemic comes under better control, we look forward to working with the administration to end unsustainable nationwide federal restrictions on property operations, implement workable solutions for renters facing housing instability and help the country recover,” the letter stated. “The continuation of a nationwide one-size-fits-all, federal eviction policy is at odds with the current economic environment and will ultimately only serve to place insurmountable levels of debt on renter households and impede the recovery in the housing sector.”
The groups added the U.S. hit the lowest levels of new recorded COVID-19 cases and average daily deaths since March 2020 and vaccines are widely available, with 63 percent of U.S. adults having received at least one vaccination. “The coalition is committed to working in partnership with policymakers at all levels to deliver housing assistance to renters while concluding the nationwide eviction moratorium at the end of June,” they wrote.
The Mortgage Bankers Association, the National Association of Realtors and the Manufactured Housing Institute were among the 12 organizations that signed the letter.
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