Date Published:
December 15th, 2021
This fall, the National Housing Law Project (NHLP) conducted a national survey of 119 legal aid and civil rights attorneys to observe how tenants are faring after the federal eviction moratorium ended in August 2021. This follow-up survey to the NHLP July 2020 survey found that 86% of survey respondents have seen landlords collect rental assistance and still proceed with evictions, or simply refuse to apply for ERA funds. NHLP also found an increase in evictions in subsidized housing.
Some landlord tactics that survey respondents have observed are:
- Falsely alleging lease violations, or changing lease terms without notifying tenants
- Falsely denying receipt of ERA funds to keep cases moving through court
- Intentionally delaying ERA applications to accumulate late fees
- Using ERA money to pay for landlord legal fees while continuing to pursue evictions in court