Will the Eviction Moratorium Stand or Expire on June 30?

California rental housing providers have operated under a series of eviction moratoriums since the pandemic shut down the economy 14 months ago. And now, tenant activists and some lawmakers are fighting to prevent California’s COVID-19 eviction moratorium from expiring June 30 as scheduled. Specifically, the California Apartment Association is evaluating the need for any extension and demanding several problems with SB 91 be fixed if it is to remain in effect.

Pressure to extend SB 91 comes amid several changing dynamics surrounding the virus and the state’s economy. With mass vaccinations underway, California has the virus on its heels and plans to fully reopen the economy on June 15, two weeks before SB 91’s scheduled expiration.

Under the financial assistance element of SB 91, the state is using federal funds to pay housing providers 80 percent of a qualifying tenant’s back rent accumulated between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021. A landlord who accepted the money had to forgive the remaining unpaid rent for that period. Housing providers who have refused to participate have still been eligible to receive 25 percent of rental arrears if the tenant applied successfully for aid.

To qualify for the federal dollars, the unpaid rent must be owed by a tenant who earned less than 80 percent of the area median income in 2020 or at the time of application. The state has first prioritized dollars for lower-income tenants, i.e., those earning up to 50 percent of average median income.