On October 8, NLIHC hosted the latest State and Local Tenant Protections Network call. During the call, attendees learned about court-based policies and programs that divert the threat of eviction or its impacts. The National Center for State Courts (NCSC), the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel, and the National Housing Law Project joined the call and shared information about eviction diversion programs, right to counsel policies, and eviction record sealing protections, respectively. The call highlighted what these programs are and how to implement and enforce them equitably.
Eviction diversion programs are state- and local-based court programs that help reduce eviction filings or mitigate the impact of evictions on households. In 2024, NCSC released a report detailing the impact of eviction diversion programs from 24 jurisdictions, finding that 89% of cases in diversion programs avoided an eviction judgment. Meanwhile, right-to-counsel policies and programs aim to ensure that all renters facing eviction have representation in the eviction court. As of 2026, 21 cities, two counties, and five states have implemented right-to-counsel policies. Finally, eviction record sealing protections limit public access to eviction records by shielding them from third parties, including landlords and tenant screening companies. NLIHC released an Eviction Record Sealing and Expungement Toolkit in 2024 to highlight the core components of these policies, explain where these protections have been enacted, and provide tenant advocates' recommendations for strengthening these laws and protections.
View October 8 call.
NLIHC’s State and Local Tenant Protections Network is an informal meeting space for housing advocates across the policy, legal, and research sectors to discuss efforts, challenges, and ongoing work to advance tenant protections at the state and local level. Tenant protections are laws, policies, and programs that address the longstanding power imbalance between landlords and renter households to ensure renters can access—and remain stably housed in—housing that is safe, affordable, and accessible to renters at the federal, state, and local levels.
Register for the next call, which will take place on December 10.
Questions related to NLIHC’s State and Local Tenant Protections Network call can be directed to NLIHC’s Research team at [email protected].