A Moratorium on Evictions Ends, Leaving Thousands of Tenants Fearful
Eviction cases are expected to soar in New York City as housing courts reopen and landlords seek to recoup income lost during the pandemic.
A moratorium on evictions that New York State imposed during the coronavirus pandemic expired over the weekend, raising fears that tens of thousands of residents struggling in the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression will be called into housing courts, which reopened on Monday.
Housing rights groups estimate that in the coming days, 50,000 to 60,000 cases could be filed in New York City’s housing courts. In addition, thousands of cases that were already in progress but were paused in March can now resume.
The number of eviction cases expected to be filed reflects the typical caseload in a three-month period, which was the length of the moratorium. But it does not take into account the fallout from the more than one million city residents who have lost their jobs or were furloughed in recent months and whose federal stimulus payments of an extra $600 per week will soon run out, housing advocates say.
A second order issued by the state that shields tenants directly affected by the pandemic expires in late August and could produce an even bigger wave of eviction cases.
“All levels of government have to realize that they cannot let tens of thousands of people end up in homeless shelters,” said Edward Josephson, the director of litigation and housing at Legal Services NYC. “It’s the most dire thing that we have ever seen.”
But many landlords say they, too, are facing financial calamity, with the loss of rental income leaving them unable to pay their own bills, including mortgages, and invest in building upkeep.
“It is clear that the economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic are nowhere near an end,” said Jay Martin, the executive director of the Community Housing Improvement Program, or CHIP, which represents about 4,000 property owners. “There are thousands of tenants and building owners who need help now.”
As housing courts nationwide begin to reopen and federal stimulus checks are about to end, eviction cases are expected to soar. A recent report by Amherst, an analytics and data real estate firm, found that up to 28 million renters are at risk of eviction.
In the days leading up to the first moratorium deadline, dozens of members of the New York State Legislature, as well as many housing groups, urged Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to extend universal protection to all tenants, even in cases not directly caused by the pandemic.
They also expressed concern that housing courts would reopen physically on Monday, placing tenants and others at risk of contracting and spreading the virus.
But the state’s chief administrative judge, Lawrence K. Marks, decided against that, citing public health concerns. But case filings can be sent online or through the mail, and hearings will be held virtually.
Susanna Blankley, the coalition coordinator for the Right to Counsel NYC Coalition, said it was “unconscionable” for housing courts to restart at all.
“In what world is it good to evict people in the middle of a pandemic?” Ms. Blankley said. “Who are you opening for? It has to be for the landlords.”
Even though the courthouses were closed on Monday, people protested the virtual reopening outside the Brooklyn location, holding signs that read, “EVICTION FREE NYC.”
The past three months have been extremely difficult not only for tenants, but also for smaller landlords.
About 25 percent of renters have not paid rent in May, April and June, according to a survey by CHIP. About 20 percent of the landlords represented by the group said they were concerned about losing their properties.
Lincoln Eccles, who owns a 14-unit apartment building in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, said the closing of housing courts in March delayed two cases he had against separate tenants who have not paid rent in years. Together, the tenants owe tens of thousands of dollars in rent, he said.
He said he collected full rent payments from only nine of his 14 units this month; some of the tenants have not paid because of the pandemic, he said.
“If it’s a choice between me being solvent or the tenant staying in place, I have no choice but being solvent,” said Mr. Eccles, who said he was operating in the red this year.
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