What does the eviction moratorium extension mean for landlords?

President Biden extended the eviction moratorium for one more month. Landlords in Michigan might be wondering how this affects them and their residents, and what options they have now that it’s been extended.

Why was the eviction moratorium extended?

The extension is just one month, extending it to July 31st. This move is meant to give people a little bit more time to get back on their feet if they’ve experienced financial hardship from the pandemic.

The Centers for Disease Control says this is intended to be the last extension of the eviction moratorium. This moratorium was put in place during 2020, ensuring that no one could be evicted and put on the streets during the pandemic.

As long as the moratorium is in place, landlords can’t evict tenants for not paying rent through July 31st. The hope is that the federal and state governments will be able to give federal rent relief aid to people who need it by that time, helping people who got behind on rent get ahead of it by July 31.

What happens when the moratorium ends?

While the government hopes that federal relief gets to the hands of those who need it, there might still be people who can’t get caught up with their rent by the time the moratorium ends. After the moratorium ends, landlords can hypothetically evict tenants who are still behind on their rent even after the federal aid is distributed to people.

Even though landlords can evict their tenants for not paying back rent, there’s a lot of questions as to whether they should and what programs would be available to tenants to help them pay their rent. For any questions about evictions, landlords should consider reaching out to a lawyer.