CDC Eviction Moratorium Extension Provides Protection, Though Limited, For Local Tenants
Many tenants around Atlanta can remain in their homes now that a nationwide eviction moratorium has been extended.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new order just two days before the ban was set to expire. It is now expected to protect tenants who are behind on rent until the end of June.
But in Fulton County, tenants can still face difficult decisions, said Viraj Parmar, who runs the Housing Court Assistance Center for the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation.
The magistrate court is continuing to hear cases and scheduling evictions for as soon as the moratorium is over, Parmar said.
“I think people are coming up with an exit plan and so that’s part of the difficulty when the moratorium comes out so late,” he said.
He said some tenants already agreed to move from their units, not knowing if the eviction ban would continue beyond its previous March 31st end date.
Meanwhile, the ban faces multiple challenges in federal courts.
Several federal judges, including ones in Texas, Ohio and Tennessee, have now ruled it is illegal. They sided with landlords who argued the CDC doesn’t have the authority to regulate evictions.
The federal agency says the public health emergency gives it that power. So far, at least two federal judges in Louisiana and Georgia have agreed.
Top Stories
