Landlords in D.C. will now be required to offer payment plans for rent to tenants who are facing financial hardship caused by the pandemic. And foreclosures and new court filings for evictions will be put on hold not only during the state of emergency — but for 60 days after it ends.
The actions were part of two separate measures the Council took up during a virtual legislative session on Tuesday. One was a stand-alone bill addressing foreclosures, the other was an emergency bill addressing the fallout of the pandemic and the shutdown of the city’s economy — the third such bill passed since mid-March.
Under a provision included by Council member Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) in the emergency bill, residential landlords who rent five or more housing units will be required to establish alternative rent payment plans for tenants who can prove they’re experiencing financial hardship directly or indirectly related to COVID-19. Similar arrangements must be made available to commercial tenants.
Renters would be able to negotiate repayment plans with their landlords for rent due during the city’s public health emergency and for one year after the emergency ends. The bill doesn’t spell out specific terms of such a plan, leaving that to landlords to work out with renters.
And under the additional measure, new foreclosure filings will not be allowed during the ongoing state of emergency or within 60 days after it ends. While D.C. Superior Court has not hearing foreclosure cases and the federal recovery bill imposed a moratorium on evictions for holders of federally backed mortgages, housing advocates said gaps still remained that could result in either immediate foreclosure filings after the state of emergency or out-of-court foreclosures during the emergency.
“D.C. needs to hit pause on foreclosures,” said bill sponsor Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1).
A number of states have already approved foreclosure moratoria, including Massachusetts, which put one in place late last month, and Maryland, where Gov. Larry Hogan put a stop to evictions and foreclosures in early April.
Nadeau’s bill was amended at the last minute to allow non-resident condo owners to be foreclosed on for not paying required homeowner dues or fees. But the Council has offered additional protections to homeowners. Last month, it passed an emergency bill requiring mortgage services to offer 90-day payment deferrals to qualified homeowners.
New evictions had already been banned for the duration of the state of emergency — but Tuesday’s bill suspends the filing of new evictions for 60 days after the emergency ends.
Council member Trayon White (D-Ward 8), who wrote the new provision, worried that not offering a longer ban on evictions would mean a rash of displacements as soon as the state of emergency is lifted.
“Not allowing someone some time [to catch up on rent] will lead to a significant increase in evictions,” he said.
The Council has already prohibited landlords from increasing rent during the state of emergency, and it has banned late fees for unpaid rent. It has also prohibited utility cutoffs and is expected to take up additional legislation this month to require utilities like D.C. Water and cable companies to offer their customers payment plans.
These are the latest steps the Council has taken to ramp up protections for homeowners and renters, but some housing advocates insist more is needed — and they are calling for an outright cancellation of rent and mortgage payments. But such a dramatic move — which has also been advocated by progressive members of Congress — hasn’t yet gained traction in D.C.
Tuesday’s emergency bill also included a number of other provisions, including one capping commissions third-party delivery services can charge restaurants, another easing signature-collection requirements for candidates running in November’s general election and one more requiring Mayor Muriel Bowser to regularly brief the Council on steps being taken at the D.C. Jail to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Source:npr.org
