CDC announces one month extension to eviction moratorium, now ends July

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday announced an extension  to the federal eviction moratorium that prevents tenants from being evicted if unable to pay rent for provable COVID-19 reasons.

The moratorium, which was created under former President Trump in September 2020, was set to expire at the end of June but the CDC has extended it through July. The CDC said in announcing the extension that it should be the last, as the country and its economy emerge from the pandemic. 

"The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a historic threat to the nation’s public health,” the CDC said in a statement. “Keeping people in their homes and out of crowded or congregate settings – like homeless shelters – by preventing evictions is a key step in helping to stop the spread of COVID-19.”

Currently states are required to provide rental assistance to owners of apartment complexes, but some disbursements have slowed, which has caused the owners to turn to the tenants. 

The moratorium is also facing legal challenges. According to the Hill, a group of landlords asked the Supreme Court earlier this month to effectively end the eviction pause, claiming that property owners have collectively lost $13 billion each month as a result.