I’m actually surprised that landlords didn’t simply refuse to renew leases. They still have to pay their bills to the mortgage holder. In cases where things like water, power, and/or cable are included they still have to pay. Meanwhile, many tenants are working, buying cars, new phones, paying their cell phone bills, ordering meal delivery, and more. But, hey, there’s a solution
Eviction bans can’t last forever. What are long-term solutions?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday extended a ban on evictions in areas of the country experiencing “substantial or high levels†of coronavirus transmission, categories that include about 80 percent of counties in the United States.
The new extension replaces a nationwide eviction moratorium that the CDC issued in September under the belief that allowing people to stay in their homes — and not forcing them into crowded living situations like homeless shelters — would help stem the spread of the virus. While there’s evidence that the ban did help reduce community transmission, there have been heated debates about the merits of keeping it in place as the number of COVID cases has dipped from the winter peak.
The emergence of the Delta variant informed the decision to issue another extension, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said. President Biden added that the new order will give states more time to distribute the $45 billion set aside by Congress to help struggling Americans pay off rental debt. Due to bureaucratic delays and lack of awareness of the program, only a small percentage of those funds have been distributed.
I’m shocked, isn’t government super-efficient? Also, the extension violates the law and Constitution. Anyhow
One of the most common suggestions for directly addressing housing insecurity is a dramatic expansion of vouchers, a system where government funds help cover a portion of rent for low-income households. There are also widespread calls for stronger protections for renters who are facing evictions, like a guaranteed right to counsel or eviction diversion programs that help resolve landlord-tenant disputes outside of a courtroom. Others say tenant protections must be accompanied by aid to landlords who lose rental income when tenants can’t pay.
Many experts also argue that preventing the millions of evictions that happen each year will require more dramatic tackling of the fundamental cause of housing insecurity: Rents are simply too expensive for a huge share of Americans. Addressing that problem could include raising the minimum wage to changing zoning laws that limit construction to investments in affordable housing and dramatically increasing the supply of government-owned homes.
Government already has many of these systems in place for low-income folks: they’re called government housing, for one. The other are rent controlled properties. And both tend to be more dangerous, with lots more crime, and often look like shitholes, with trash everywhere, ill-maintained yards and buildings. But, Progressives want even more, like a government paid lawyer to gum up the works for people being evicted for non-payment of rent. Which seems pretty cut and dry.
Raising minimum wage? Just increases costs, like rent. Requiring the construction of low income housing, which would simply mean companies will not build because they won’t get their money back. Increasing government owned homes, which also means nationalization. Government giving people money for rent. Where’s it coming from?
Housing should be treated as a fundamental right defended by the government
“We should move our housing billions out of the private market and into social housing, built on a foundation of full public-sector ownership and management. In so doing, we will commit to democratic control of housing, which will minimize costs and include mechanisms to remedy race and income segregation.†— Fran Quigley, Jacobin
A government takeover. Surprise!
A limited ban should be made permanent and paired with relief for landlords
“An enduring ‘not-my-fault’ defense should apply only to tenants who did nothing wrong and who have no other housing option. It should be paired with relief on the landlord side of the ledger. After all, the landlord isn’t to blame for a tenant’s sudden hardship.†— Juliet Brodie and Larisa Bowman, CNN
So, no evictions at all. These people are insane.
The ban is only making the long-term eviction problem worse
“The economic emergency has long passed and many landlords are struggling to pay their mortgages and utilities. … The moral imperative now is to let landlords collect rent so they can stay in business and avoid bankruptcies that would lead to cascading damage throughout the rental housing market.†— Editorial, Wall Street Journal
Government would like this, because they’ll just take over the properties.
