Eviction filings have soared more than 50% in some cities compared to pre-pandemic levels, as the end of relief measures and economic instability play havoc with renters’ finances in some parts of the country.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!This is according to data from extraction lab But Princeton UniversityAs reported by the Associated Press.
“The protections are gone, the federal moratorium is apparently gone, and the emergency rental assistance money is gone in most places,” Daniel Grubbs-Donovan, research specialist at the Aviation Lab, told the AP. “Across the country, low-income renters are in worse shape than they were before the pandemic due to things like steep increases in rent during the pandemic, inflation and other pandemic-era related financial hardships.”
Eviction Lab tracks data in approximately 36 cities and 10 states, showing that eviction filings are up more than 50% in some areas. According to the organization, landlords file approximately 3.6 million eviction cases each year.
Among the cities with the highest rates, Houston came in highest. According to the data, evictions there were 56% higher in April and 50% higher in May. In the Minneapolis/St. According to Paul, rates were 106% higher in March, 55% higher in April and 63% higher in May. Nashville was 35% higher in May and Phoenix 33%, while Rhode Island was 32% higher in May.
The AP reports, “The latest data reflect trends that began last year, with the Eviction Lab recording nearly 970,000 evictions at locations tracked — a 78.6% increase over 2021, when the majority of the country Was following the eviction moratorium.” “By December, eviction applications were almost back to pre-pandemic levels.”
Rental prices have also steadily increased, being about 5% higher in 2023 than the previous year, and 30% higher in 2023 than in 2019, according to the data. Zillow As shared in the report.
As federal relief programs from the pandemic are rapidly being depleted or phased out, congressional calls for additional resources have failed to gain any significant momentum, especially as concerns over spending dominate the legislative agenda. . US House of Representatives,
The end of the eviction moratorium is also increasing the eviction rate. But similar to the lack of will seen in the US Congress, many state legislatures have not seen any meaningful legislation to combat the trend, despite organized efforts in states such as New York and Texas.
However, many of the pandemic housing relief measures have been made permanent.
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, 200 measures have been passed nationwide since January 2021, including legal representation for tenants, sealing of eviction records and mediation to resolve cases before they reach court.
