AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) – Last week, the federal eviction moratorium expired, and this week, the federal unemployment checks are ending, leaving many who depended on these in limbo with first of the month approaching.
In Amarillo, about 40 percent of people rent, and at Northwest Texas Legal Aid, they have seen a steady stream of people calling for help with evictions.
“Under the CARES Act, any of these properties that are covered directly by the tenant receiving the subsidy or the landlord having a loan from the federal government. The landlord must give 30 days notice before filing the eviction.” said Kay Pechin, managing attorney at the Amarillo Branch for Northwest Texas Legal Aid.
If anyone is given an eviction notice, Pechin recommends asking your landlord or looking online to see if the home is covered under the federal eviction moratorium. If so, the landlord must give them 30 days before forcing them to vacate.
Additionally, if the landlord has a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac type of loan for their mortgage, the landlord is also prohibited from evicting tenants until August 31. If the landlords go into forbearance, which is when the home owner temporarily postpones payments, then they could not evict the tenants during that time period. Owners could go into forbearance for up to 12 months.
“Recently, our servicing department has seen quite an increase in people just requesting a forbearance or requesting an extension for the next few months.” said Kelsey Lankford, home mortgage officer at Amarillo National Bank
For homeowners who are struggling with their mortgages, going into forbearance could be a temporary solution. After the time is up, they must pay the months missed, along with the payment for the current month.
“If for some reason a forbearance or payment deferral doesn’t work, we can look into a loan modification” said Lankford.
