What Does “pause on Checkout” Actually Mean?
States and cities across the country have decided to suspend evictions and shutdowns of utilities during the coronavirus pandemic. But if you face eviction, the moratorium can only be temporary protection.
According to Alieza Durana, there are some problems with the provision of housing by states and municipalities. Durana works at the Eviction Laboratory at Princeton University, which constantly updates the list of locations where evictions and closings have been suspended.
“The mechanisms used to stop evictions in most states leave loopholes and / or do not correct the situation 100%,” she said.
There are several scenarios that can affect people in the eviction process:
- Where courts have suspended eviction hearings, cases may reopen within weeks.
- Landlords in some locations can still apply for eviction to be heard later in the spring or summer.
- States that have imposed moratoriums can leave them up to local governments, which can confuse tenants when looking for information.
- Landlords can still pressure tenants to move or retaliate by neglecting their rented apartments.
Differences between politicians can make it difficult to understand what is happening in your area – and what you need to do and when. For example, Durana said that in California, tenants must prove that they cannot pay precisely because of COVID-19.
“Even if the moratorium is in place, the pressure still remains,” Durana said, explaining that in most cases it is unclear what to do next for tenants and homeowners after the moratorium is lifted.
All this can be frustrating when you see that these countries, as Italy , have stopped all payments on the mortgage. Why not take similar measures and extend them to tenants? Durana explained that this is partly due to the decentralized system of government here in the US. And since the president has failed to act at the federal level to impose a general ban on evictions, at the state level the question sometimes arises as to who has the power to suspend the process.
If you are at risk of being evicted during or after the coronavirus outbreak, you can visit Just Shelter to find housing resources in your state. (Just Shelter was a co-founder Matthew Desmond, author of the book ” evicted” and principal investigator Laboratory eviction).
You can also find inexpensive legal aid in your area through legal aid societies. LawHelp.org has a state directory to help you find resources.