Updated June 24:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved a one-month extension of the national moratorium on evictions. According to the New York Times, officials emphasized this will be the final time they will push back the deadline.
Originally set to expire at the end of June, the national eviction moratorium will now be in place through July 31. As we previously reported in the original story below, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors extended eviction protection for local residents through September 30.
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors has modified and extended local eviction protections until September 30–three months past the expected end date. State and federal protections are scheduled to end on June 30, and despite calls for an extension by some, there’s no indication that the moratorium will be extended.
Citing the longterm and continuing economic impact of COVID on the county, the Board of Supervisors said the county will continue to prohibit evictions based on non-payment of rent due to COVID-19-related financial hardship, or the inability to cover back rent.
Urbanize notes that the revised moratorium includes a new exception for property owners who purchased a single-family primary residence on or before June 30. Such tenants will only be eligible for eviction if:
- They have been able to pay rent and have not faced financial impacts from COVID-19; and
- The landlord or landlord’s family member residing in the home is “similarly situated” to the tenant (i.e. a disabled tenant may only be displaced for a property owner or family member who is also disabled).
Should an eviction need to be issues, landlords are required to provide 60 days written notice to tenants, and pay relocation benefits as required by local jurisdictions.
“While the County is seeing lowered rates of COVID-19 cases, the health and economic impacts of COVID-19 and the threat of becoming homeless still remain challenges to residential tenants,” the motion introduced by Supervisors Hilda Solis and Sheila Kuehl read. “Additionally, the economic hardships of the pandemic still weigh heavily on commercial tenants, especially those who were required to fully or partially close their businesses to protect our health. Many County residents have lost their jobs and have either no income or reduced income, and many businesses still have a long journey to economic recovery.”
While a formal statewide extension is reportedly still under consideration, Governor Gavin Newsom announced earlier this week that California will pay off all the past-due rent that has accumulated because of the fallout from the pandemic, supporting landlords while giving renters a clean slate.