NLIHC released a new report, Tenant Protections and Emergency Rental Assistance during and beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic, on January 20. The report provides a descriptive analysis of new tenant protections and emergency rental assistance (ERA)-related policies enacted or implemented by states and local governments in 2021. States and localities passed or implemented over 130 new laws or policies in 2021 to protect tenants from eviction and keep them stably housed. The protections and policies examined in the report include (1) state and local eviction moratoriums, (2) pauses on the eviction process to allow for ERA processing, (3) mandates to increase information about ERA and limit tenant fees, (4) increases to tenant representation during the eviction process and (5) protections that reduce discrimination and promote housing stability.
The pandemic and resulting historic aid to renters have fundamentally shifted the housing landscape in the United States, in part because state and local jurisdictions across the country have recognized the crucial role tenant protections play in preventing evictions and ensuring housing stability for the most marginalized households. The new report surveys the range of policies and protections enacted and makes suggestions about how these policies and protections can be applied in the future.
In addition to encouraging more states and localities to adopt laws or policies to protect tenants, the report concludes by urging:
- States and localities to assess their tenant-protection laws and programs to ensure maximum effectiveness in preventing evictions.
- Congress to authorize and fund a permanent program to provide emergency rental assistance – such as that proposed in the “Eviction Crisis Act” – to ensure housing stability for households that experience financial shocks after the pandemic ends.
To learn more, read the report at: https://tinyurl.com/TenantProtectionsReport