“The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a historic threat to the nation’s public health. 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,” the CDC said in its announcement.
Two major factors in the agency’s decision to issue the new order are modeling projections and observational data from COVID-19 incidence comparisons. It found that evictions substantially contribute to COVID-19 transmission -- by as much as 40%.
“Although there may be additional factors that the authors were unable to adjust for, the authors [of the research] estimated that, nationally, over 433,000 cases of COVID-19 and over 10,000 deaths could be attributed to lifting state moratoria.”
Eligibility under the moratorium
The CDC defines eligible applicants under the moratorium as “any tenant, lessee, or resident of a residential property who provides to their landlord, the owner of the residential property, or other person with a legal right to pursue eviction or a possessory action, a declaration under penalty of perjury indicating that: The individual has used best efforts to obtain all available government assistance for rent or housing.”
Also important is how much the applicant earns. They cannot earn more than $99,000 in annual income for the 2021 calendar year, or no more than $198,000 if filing a joint tax return.
The individual must also prove that they were “unable to pay the full rent or make a full housing payment due to substantial loss of household income, loss of compensable hours of work or wages, a lay-off, or extraordinary out-of-pocket medical expenses.”
The applicant needs to show that eviction would likely render them homeless or cause them to move into and live in close quarters in a shared living setting because they have no other available housing options.
When it comes to properties, the CDC says the living space must be a “residential property” -- a house, building, mobile home, land in a mobile home park, or similar dwelling leased for residential purposes. What’s not included are hotels, motels, or other guest houses rented to a temporary guest or seasonal tenant.
A complete version of the order is available on the CDC’s website.
