If you’ve been worried about paying next month’s rent, the CDC has news for you! On Monday, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention extended its ban on evictions for non-payment of rent to June 30, 2021. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signed the extension as a prevention method.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a historic threat to the nation’s public health. Keeping people in their homes and out of crowded or congregate settings — like homeless shelters — by preventing evictions is a key step in helping to stop the spread of COVID-19,” Dr. Walensky said in a media statement released on the CDC’s official website.
This is the third extension of the moratorium. The first one was put in place last year and extended to January 31st. At President Biden’s urging, the CDC extended the deadline a second time to March 31st. Then, just two days before the second moratorium was set to expire, the CDC granted an extension until June.
However, renters shouldn’t get too comfortable with the idea of rent relief. If (and when) the ban is lifted in June, renters are reportedly expected to pay back rent in full or set up a payment plan with their landlord or rental company.
To take advantage of the ban, renters must have eligible income restrictions and present those restrictions in a signed declaration to their landlord or rental company. The CDC posted a two-page eviction protection declaration form on their website. Tenants are not obligated to use the CDC’s form, but they can use the form to determine protection eligibility.
If a renter submitted a signed declaration during the initial moratorium or any of its extensions, they are not required to submit a new one.
Landlords and/or rental companies who refuse to comply could be facing criminal penalties such as fines or imprisonment.
The extension order goes into effect on April 1, 2021.
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