Representative James Clyburn (D-SC), chair of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, sent letters on July 19 to corporate landlords Invitation Homes, Pretium Partners, Ventron Management, and the Siegel Group requesting information about their high rates of evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Together, the four companies have filed for over 5,000 evictions during the pandemic. Court records and news reports show these companies have filed to evict tenants protected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) eviction moratorium, as well as tenants who have applied for or received emergency rental assistance to pay rental arrears.
“The failure of some large landlord companies to comply with eviction moratoria or to cooperate with rental assistance programs is creating significant hardship for tenants affected by the coronavirus crisis and could contribute to a needless housing crisis as our nation recovers from the pandemic and its economic fallout,” Chair Clyburn wrote to the companies. “Some landlords have acted responsibly during the pandemic, complying fully with eviction moratoria and working cooperatively with tenants to obtain federal rental assistance funds, but those large landlord companies that have moved to evict people aggressively have had a substantial negative impact on struggling American families.”
Chair Clyburn will hold a hearing on July 27 titled “Oversight of Pandemic Evictions: Assessing Abuses by Corporate Landlords and Federal Efforts to Keep Americans in Their Homes,” at which NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel will testify. The hearing will address the effective use of emergency rental assistance funds, highlight best practices and the successes of the American Rescue Plan, and identify what further actions need to be taken to prevent a housing crisis and keep families in their homes.
Read the hearing notice at: https://tinyurl.com/tnnw6mtj
Read the letter to Invitation Homes at: https://tinyurl.com/bjb9cf2k
Read the letter to Pretium Partners at: https://tinyurl.com/jdkt32px
Read the letter to the Siegel Group at: https://tinyurl.com/44zh5b4r
Read the letter to Ventron Management at: https://tinyurl.com/d6zh8pja