COVID-19

A new report on Household Rental Debt During COVID-19 from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia estimates that in March 2021, 1.8 million renter households, representing 5 million individuals, will owe $11 billion in rent—approximately $6,100 per household. That number represents 5.4 percent of all renter householders and 15 percent of those who experienced job loss due to COVID-19.

A group of 2,272 associations, organizations and elected officials sent a letter to President Joe Biden, HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge and Centers for Disease Control Director Rochelle Walensky urging improving and extending the current CDC eviction moratorium through “the end of the pandemic.”

Eviction moratoriums at the federal, state and local level have helped reduce eviction filings, but some eligible renters may not be aware of programs and further outreach is needed, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report issued March 15.

Over the weekend, the Senate passed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (H.R. 1319) and the House today approved the amended version 220-211. A spokeswoman for President Joe Biden said he is expected to sign the bill on Friday.

On February 25, 2021, U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker issued a ruling in Terkel v. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) that declares the CDC eviction moratorium unconstitutional.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a report March 1 warning of more than 11 million families facing losing their housing due to evictions and foreclosures once federal, state and local pandemic protections come to an end unless additional public and private actions are taken.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury released an updated frequently asked questions (FAQ) for the Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program established by the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) of 2021 that incorporates many changes called for by affordable housing trade associations.

A report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) estimates that the $25 billion of emergency rental assistance allocated at the end of 2020, combined with the additional $25 billion in rental assistance proposed in the House COVID-19 relief bill, would assist four to six million low-income households.

At 2 p.m. ET on February 23, HUD’s Office of Housing Counseling (OHC) will hold a webinar to help owners and managers of HUD-assisted or insured multifamily properties who are looking for resources to assist their tenants during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Department of the Treasury released a list of state and local governments that will receive grants through the Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program. Each state received a minimum of $200 million and jurisdictions with populations greater than 200,000 were eligible to claim the money to distribute.

The new order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which extends the eviction moratorium through March 31, also clarifies that residents who previously submitted a declaration should not be asked to resubmit and should have continued protections until March 31, 2021. 

Florida Housing updated the following compliance and & asset management COVID-19 guidance for property owners and managers on January 28