Apr 17

I have a number of people ask me about the prior post stating there is an eviction moratorium for Section 8 Voucher recipients. Below is the analysis from the Congressional Research Service.

https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IN/IN11320

Eviction and Rental Payment Protections

CARES Act Section 4024(b) prohibits landlords of certain rental “covered dwellings” from initiating eviction proceedings or “charg[ing] fees, penalties, or other charges” against a tenant for the nonpayment of rent. These protections extend for 120 days from enactment (March 27, 2020).

Section 4024(c) requires landlords of the same properties to provide tenants at least 30 days-notice before they must vacate the property. It also bars those landlords from issuing a notice to vacate during the 120- day period. In contrast to the eviction and late fee protections of Section 4024(b), which are expressly limited to nonpayment, Section 4024(c) does not expressly tie the notice to vacate requirement to a particular cause. Thus, Section 4024(c) arguably prohibits landlords from being able to force a tenant to vacate a covered dwelling for nonpayment or any other reason until August 23, 2020 (i.e., 120 days after enactment, plus 30 days after notice is provided).

Section 4024(b)’s and (c)’s protections, however, do not absolve tenants of their legal responsibilities to pay rent. Tenants who do not pay rent during the eviction grace period may still face financial and legal liabilities, including eviction, after the moratorium ends.

What properties does the CARES Act protect?

The CARES Act’s eviction protections only apply to “covered dwellings,” which are rental units in properties: (1) that participate in federal assistance programs, (2) are subject to a “federally backed mortgage loan,” or (3) are subject to a “federally backed multifamily mortgage loan.”

Covered federal assistance programs include most rental assistance and housing grant programs, including public housing, Housing Choice Vouchers, Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance, rural housing programs, and the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program.

A “federally backed mortgage loan” is a single-family (1-4 units) residential mortgage owned or securitized by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac or insured, guaranteed, or otherwise assisted by the federal government. The term includes mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Agriculture’s direct and guaranteed loans. The act defines a “federally backed multifamily mortgage loan” almost identically to “federally backed mortgage loan” except that it applies to properties designed for five or more families.

Researchers estimate that roughly 12.3 million rental units have federally backed financing, representing 28% of renters.

One Response to “Questions About Section 8 Eviction Moratorium”

  1. […] There is a prohibition against evictions for nonpayment until July 25th for tenants receiving Rent Assistance or properties covered by the CARES ACT due to having a federally backed mortgage. There are some other factors as well. For an overview see the prior posts on Eviction Moratoriums Under the CARES ACT and Eviction Moratoriums under Section 8, Rent Assist. […]

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