Find out if the court will allow evictions to begin again amid the pandemic
The US Supreme Court said Thursday that it would not allow the Biden administration to extend the pandemic-related eviction moratorium – ending protections for millions of Americans facing evictions in the next two months.
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In a 6-3 vote, the court’s conservative majority sided with landlords against extending the federal ban on evictions set to expire Oct. 3.
The court said that the moratorium “has put the applicants, along with millions of landlords across the country, at risk of irreparable harm by depriving them of rent payments with no guarantee of eventual recovery.”
“Many landlords have modest means. And preventing them from evicting tenants who breach their leases intrudes on one of the most fundamental elements of property ownership – the right to exclude,” the court said.
The court’s decision saw a sigh of relief for landlords who were forced to bear the brunt of the moratorium. Not surprisingly, the National Multifamily Housing Council, which has been advocating on behalf of property owners, agreed with the Supreme Court ruling.
“NMHC supported a voluntary, short-term halt to evictions to keep families safely and securely housed. However, a long-term eviction moratorium was never the right policy,” the council said in a statement.
“It does nothing to speed the delivery of real solutions for America’s renters and ignores the unsustainable and unfair economic burden placed on millions of housing providers, jeopardizing their financial stability and threatening the loss of affordable housing stock nationwide.”
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White House press secretary Jen Psaki called the ruling disappointing in light of the mounting cases of the Delta variant across the country.
“As a result of this ruling, families will face the painful impact of evictions, and communities across the country will face greater risk of exposure to COVID-19,” Psaki said. “President Biden is once again calling on all entities that can prevent evictions – from cities and states to local courts, landlords, Cabinet Agencies – to urgently act to prevent evictions.”
