Michigan Real Estate News

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Eviction Moratorium Continues Through July

The pandemic-inspired nationwide ban on evictions is hanging around for a while longer. The Supreme Court rejected pleas by landlords to end the moratorium with a 5-4 vote to keep the pan in place. The ban is due to expire at the end of July and another extension isn’t expected. In addition, the Treasury Department issued guidance encouraging a streamline distribution of the near $47 billion available for emergency rental assistance. The government is attempting to blunt the impact of the end of the eviction moratorium.

 

Millions Face Eviction & Uncertainty

As states challenge the federal moratorium on evictions, families across the U.S. don’t know if they’re going to have a place stay.  An avalanche of evictions could soon become a reality as renters owe $53 billion to landlords. The Texas Supreme Court lifted the moratorium on evictions on March 31. As a result, the Dallas-Fort Worth area has the third-most eviction filings in the country. The moratorium is scheduled to be lifted on June 30. According to the Aspen Institute, 40 million Americans are at risk of losing their homes.

 

online hearing

Virtual Evictions Threaten Constitutional Rights

Across the country, eviction hearings have moved to the computer because public officials don’t want to risk exposure to sick tenants arriving for court appointments.  Lawyers have seen virtual eviction hearings that take as little as 30 seconds. Tenants often don’t have access to computers and have to dial into the hearings with their phones. Many courts only accept documentation online, and tenants who try to submit their records in-person are turned away. Many argue that tenants’ due process rights are violated by the technological and financial barriers of the eviction proceedings.