August 2021: Eviction Moratorium

CDC Eviction Moratoriums

Over the past year and a half, people have had to face many challenges brought on by the COVID-19 Pandemic. One of these is the risk of being evicted due to the inability to keep up with rent. Many people have been laid off, and although there have been developments in emergency relief funds there are high demands as so many have run into this and other housing related problems. One of the many attempts to solve this issue have been eviction moratoriums. These are government orders preventing landlords from evicting residents for non payment of rent in the hopes of preventing the increased spread of COVID, as well as allowing tenants extra time to receive financial relief, find new jobs, safely quarantine and vaccinate, etc. These orders have been revisited on a month to month basis and overall have continued to be renewed each time. Most recently, the orders were extended through October third, however, this time is slightly different as this extension only applies to those living in counties considered “substantial or high transmission”. Currently for New Hampshire, all counties fall under this classification except for Sullivan, Merrimack and Carroll. This status is updated on a weekly basis and can be checked through the CDC COVID data Tracker (link below). If you receive an eviction and qualify for the moratorium, you must fill out a declaration form (available in English and Spanish through the links below) and give it to your landlord or property management company. In the declaration you must show that you meet qualifications surrounding your income and why your rent was not able to be paid. Once they have received the declaration, those who violate the order may face penalties, including fines or jail time. Updates on the status of these orders may be found on the CDC website.

Data Tracker:

CDC COVID Data Tracker

Eviction Declaration (English):

Eviction Protection Declaration (libguides.com)

Eviction Declaration (Spanish):

Declaración para protección contra desalojos (libguides.com)

RESOURCES:

Evictions and COVID-19 – Residential Evictions – NH Law About … at New Hampshire Law Library (libguides.com)

CDC COVID Data Tracker

CDC Issues Eviction Moratorium Order in Areas of Substantial and High Transmission | CDC Online Newsroom | CDC