Rural Development Extends Moratorium on Residential Evictions from USDA-financed Multi-Family Housing in Accordance with CDC Guidance
Moratorium extended through June 30, 2021
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today extended the moratorium on residential evictions through June 30, 2021.
This moratorium allows the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development to extend relief to the tens-of-thousands of rural Americans nationwide who rely on USDA-supported multi-family housing. The moratorium on evictions applies when the tenants certify that they meet the following criteria:
- All adults in the household have attempted to obtain any available government assistance for rent;
- The household meets annual income limits of $99,000 per individual or $198,000 per couple;
- The household is unable to pay full rent due to a loss of household income or extraordinary medical expenses;
- Timely partial payments have been attempted; and
- Eviction would likely make the household members homeless or force them into an unsafe shared living arrangement.
The halt of tenant evictions is authorized under Section 361 of the Public Health Act, 42 U.S.C. 264 and 42 CFR 70.2. For additional information, see the March 29, 2021, CDC Order: Temporary Halt in Residential Evictions to Prevent the Further Spread of COVID-19.
Where state or local guidance is more restrictive, owners and agents of USDA-financed multi-family housing must closely follow the more restrictive local guidance. In Oregon, House Bill 4401 prohibits late fees and establishes funds to help landlords whose tenants have been unable to pay rent, as well as to help tenants make their payments.
We appreciate the continued commitment of our multi-family housing partners to provide quality housing during this difficult time. If a USDA-financed multi-family housing property is experiencing difficulties due to COVID-19, please contact the Multi-Family Housing Specialist assigned to the property. A complete, sortable contact list is available on our Multi-Family Housing datasets website. Simply select "Property Assignment by Region" under the third section to open an Excel spreadsheet listing USDA contacts by property.
For more information, visit the Rural Development COVID-19 Response website.
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