Landlords are temporarily blocked from evicting tenants for failure to pay rent. | Stock Photo
Landlords are temporarily blocked from evicting tenants for failure to pay rent. | Stock Photo
Residents at risk of being evicted for falling behind on their rent are temporarily protected under a federal guideline that started on Sept. 4, WBTV 3 reported.
However, tenants need to complete an affidavit that the landlord also must sign.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have pushed for continuing eviction protections to prevent people from needing shelters, where COVID-19 would likely spread to a larger number of people because of a group setting.
Attorney Isaac Sturgill of Legal Aid of North Carolina, which helps residents in eviction court, said he was surprised by the new guideline.
“I was floored by it. I’ll say that. I’ll be completely honest about that. I’ve been representing tenants for about eight years now, and that’s been my whole legal career, and it came as a surprise to me,” Sturgill told WBTV.
He added that those who complete an affidavit are claiming that they make less than $99,000 a year and can’t keep up with rent because they lost their jobs, experienced high medical costs, and would be homeless if they were evicted. They also agree to pay what they can.
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