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Michigan’s Foreclosure Numbers Highest in the Country

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Michigan has the highest number of foreclosures than anywhere in the country, according RealtyTrac. However, experts say this isn’t a sign of a worsening housing market. Michigan’s 2022 January figures represent a 622 percent increase over the totals in January 2021. The big leaps are due to the ending of moratoriums that kept foreclosures from moving forward. Wayne County had the bulk of foreclosure activity, and most of those were old foreclosures that were in the process a long time. According to the vice president of RealtyTrac, Michigan’s backlog is moving faster than in other states. He expects that it could take several months before the backlog is cleared out, but that the figures are not a cause for concern.

 

 

COVID Emergency Rental Assistance Staves Off An Eviction Tsunami

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With the ending of the federal eviction moratorium on August 26, local legal aid funds are still being sorted out. Since the initial eviction moratorium, the U.S. Treasury has paid $25 billion to states and local governments for COVID Emergency Rental Assistance. From May to August, a total of $181,821,906 has been paid out to Michigan residents. The pace of the disbursements will continue to accelerate into September, according to the MSHDA communications director. The Director of Litigation at the Legal Aid of Western Michigan estimates that applicants are waiting 1 to 2 months before receiving a check. The processing rate varies by county and ranges from 26-72%.

 

 

Hundreds of Metro Detroiters At Risk For Eviction

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Detroit tenants behind on their rent because of coronavirus pandemic hardships are no longer protected from eviction, according to Detroit’s 36th District Court. After the CDC’s eviction moratorium was deemed unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Detroit court declined to issue its own moratorium. Hundreds of renters are at immediate risk of eviction. According to census data, 28% of metro Detroit renters and home owners are behind on their rent or mortgage. Organizations and agencies continue to work on connecting tenants with COVID Emergency Rental Assistance funds.

Biden’s Eviction Ban Policy Heads to the Supreme Court

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The replacement evictions moratorium will stay in place for now, according to the federal appeals court. A spokesman for the National Association of Realtors is confident that the Supreme Court will block the policy. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention imposed the evictions moratorium on August 3 in counties where Covid-19 is accelerating. Currently, that covers about 91 percent of the counties in the United States. The Delta variant has caused new coronavirus cases to soar, while the $46.5 billion rental assistance funds appropriated by Congress have yet to be widely distributed.

 

Eviction Moratorium Extension Causes Angst

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Metro Detroit landlords continue to wrestle with the eviction moratorium extension. Some have drained their savings and maxed out credit cards to cover costs on their rental properties. The eviction moratorium had recently ended, only to be extended again until October 3. Tenants who face eviction often lose everything when their belongings are disposed of. More than 18,000 applicants have been approved for more than $117 million in rent relief, with thousands more awaiting approval of their application. $400 million still needs to be distributed. Although the extension was intended for communities that had substantial Covid 19 spread, Wayne County now qualifies after entering the substantial transmission category on Wednesday afternoon.

Eviction Ban Reversal Upsets Lobbyists

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Housing lobbyists are upset about President Biden’s decision to revive the eviction ban. The President’s unexpected move to reinstate the federal eviction moratorium is a political loss for the National Association of Realtors and its industry allies who say they were excluded from discussions on the ban with the White House. Despite millions of dollars in contributions, industry trade groups felt the sting of betrayal from progressive lawmakers. The eviction ban fight is making its way through the courts.

 

Eviction Moratorium Expiration Leaves Renters in a Lurch

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The federal eviction moratorium was scheduled to end on Saturday at midnight, leaving renters to face uncertain futures as they search for housing. Homeless shelters have been adding beds in anticipation. According to a Census Bureau survey, 3.6 million people think they will be evicted within the next two months. The moratorium protected struggling renters in public or private housing if they could prove they had lost income during the pandemic. The moratorium ends when only a small part of the Congress-approved rent assistance has been distributed.  Some states have eviction moratoriums that will extend past the federal one.

 

 

Tenants Terrorize Landlord: No Eviction In Sight

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Queens, New York landlord, Vanie Mangal, spends her days supporting Covid 19 patients and her nights facing harrassment from her tenants.  Some of her tenants haven’t paid rent in over 15 months, and she has lost over $36,000 in rent. They’ve also destroyed or damaged her personal property. The federal government and the state of New York imposed eviction moratoriums. The moratoriums have hit small landlords especially hard. An estimated 28 percent of New York’s 2.3 million rental units are owned by landlords who have fewer than five properties. Landlords can seek pandemic financial assistance, but the aid is too slow, and it comes with certain strings attached that limit the actions the landlord can take against unruly tenants.