Landlords nationwide are cheering a recent ruling by a federal judge, who has thrown out a nationwide moratorium on evictions.
While renters are voicing concern, building owners and landlords are welcoming lifting the federal moratorium, which is scheduled to end June 30th. Since the start of the pandemic, those property owners have had to pay maintenance, property taxes, and mortgages, while forgiving tenants who's rent has piled up.
“Just in Houston, [there have been] millions of dollars in late fees that have been canceled and forgone,” John Boriack, president of the Houston Apartment Association, said. “And then, millions and millions if not hundreds of millions more in just deferred payments like people who needed more time to make the payments [to] stay in their homes.”
Housing advocates say the ban is necessary to keep people in their homes as the economy recovers. However, landlords say they can't continue to house people for free.
“An eviction moratorium sounds good in theory, but it ends up being really bad policy,” Boriack explained. “Because it doesn’t affect the root problem. The root problem is not that evictions are happening. The root problem is people not being able to pay rent.”
The Justice Department is appealing the judge's ruling and seeking a stay of the decision, pending appeal.