Housing Courts in New York Work Again: Tens of Thousands Evicted

The past three months have been extremely difficult, not only for tenants, but also for smaller landlords. The first has nothing to pay for the rent, as a result of which the second also lost their profits. Both are in a predicament. However, the situation of tenants may soon be even more deplorable as the housing courts are back to work. This means that homeowners can go to court to evict debtors. The newspaper said about what both sides think about this The New York Times.

The eviction moratorium has expired: what's next?

The eviction rate in New York is expected to increase dramatically due to the resumption of housing courts and homeowner attempts to recover income lost during the pandemic.

The eviction moratorium imposed by the state during the COVID-19 pandemic expired on the weekend. This raised concerns that tens of thousands of residents would be called to the housing courts, which reopened on June 22.

According to housing rights groups, 50 to 60 lawsuits may be filed with New York Housing Dispute Courts in the coming days. In addition, thousands of cases that were already pending, but were suspended in March, can now be reopened.

The number of eviction cases that are expected to be filed reflects the typical workload during the three-month period while the moratorium was in effect. But this does not take into account the fact that more than a million city dwellers lost their jobs or were sent on unpaid leave in recent months and whose federal incentive payments of an additional $ 600 per week will soon end, housing lawyers say.

A second state ordinance that protects residents directly affected by the pandemic expires in late August and could lead to an even greater wave of evictions. “All levels of government need to realize that they cannot allow tens of thousands of people to end up in homeless shelters,” said Edward Josephson, director of litigation and housing at Legal Services NYC. "This is the scariest thing we've ever seen."

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Many homeowners say they too are facing a financial crisis, resulting in a loss of rental income. Today they cannot pay their own bills, including mortgages, and invest in building maintenance. “The economic impact of the pandemic is clearly nearing its end,” said Jay Martin, executive director of the Community Housing Improvement Program (CHIP), which represents some 4000 property owners. "Thousands of tenants and building owners now need help."

As housing courts across the country begin to reopen and federal incentives end, it is expected that the number of eviction cases will increase. A recent report by real estate analytics and data processing company Amherst says up to 28 million tenants in the US are at risk of eviction.

They also expressed concern that housing courts would physically reopen on Monday, putting tenants and others at risk of infection and the spread of the virus.

But the state's chief administrative judge, Lawrence K. Marks, decided against this, citing health problems. However, case files can be sent online or by mail, and hearings will be held virtually.

Susanna Blankley, coordinator of the Right to Counsel NYC Coalition, called the reopening of housing courts during these times "unfair." “In what world is it good to evict people in the midst of a pandemic? Who are you opening up to? It should be for landlords, ”she said.

Although the courthouses were closed on June 22, people on the streets of Brooklyn protested against their virtual opening, holding the sign “Freedom from eviction in New York” (Eviction free NYC).

Homeowner losses

The past three months have been extremely difficult, not only for tenants, but also for smaller landlords. About 25% of tenants did not pay rent in May, April and June, according to a CHIP study. About 20% of the landlords represented by the group said they were worried.

Lincoln Eccles, owner of the 14-apartment house in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, said the closure of the housing courts in March delayed two cases that he had against individual tenants. These tenants have not paid rent for many years. In total, they owed tens of thousands of dollars.

Before the pandemic, Eccles hoped that he would resolve these issues in July or August. But with the closure of the courts, it became clear that he would have to wait for the court decision for many more months.

He said that this month he collected the full amount of the rent from only 9 of his 14 apartments; some of the tenants did not pay due to the pandemic.

At the same time, the expenses incurred by the homeowner have not been canceled. In February, for example, Eccles spent $ 9 to repair a boiler in a building. “Contrary to what the tenant lawyers say, most of us landlords are the last to go to court,” he said. “I don’t know of anyone who would knowingly evict someone who has suffered financial damage due to COVID.”

However, eviction is one option that some homeowners use. According to the city, 2018 thousand tenants were evicted in 2019 and 37, although in recent years their number has been steadily decreasing. Before the moratorium was introduced, almost 3 thousand residents were evicted this year.

Tenants Fear

One of the tenants, Deborah Metts, is worried about being added to this list. She lost her job as a marketing manager in March and couldn't afford to rent an apartment in Harlem the next month. Since then, Metts has helped found a tenant association in her home, staged a strike with some tenants, and asked the property owner to give tenants a break. The company did not respond, she said. “The past few months have been scary and sobering for me,” said 37-year-old Metts. "As soon as you move from the privilege of being employed and earning, everything changes very quickly."

The woman said she was more concerned about the fact that her neighbors might face an eviction procedure and they would have nowhere to go if they lost their homes.

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Among the ZIP codes of New York City with the highest number of evictions in 2018 and 2019, more than 96% were in areas where people of color live. All of these evictions took place in the Bronx or Brooklyn. “When we talk about evictions, the vast majority of these people will be black and brown,” Metts said. “If society is concerned about social justice, then one of the places to invest money is to prevent evictions.”

Some 2,3 million tenants in New York recently received little relief regarding their future leases. The City Council on Rental Rates, which sets rental rates for regulated apartments, has frozen these rates for a year. In addition, only for the third time in its 50-year history did the council not approve the annual rent increase. Freezing does not affect market rents.

Across the country, including New York, tenants rallied around a broad campaign #CancelRent. They criticized the moratorium on evictions and freezing rents as inadequate in times of economic turmoil.

The last few months, taxi driver M.D. Khan (MD Khan) receives a letter from his landlord with the signature: "Notice of non-payment of rent." Khan, 57, said he stopped working in mid-March because he was afraid of contracting the virus.

It still doesn't work. Since March, he has not been able to afford to rent his $ 1175 studio apartment in Queens. Khan said he considers the letters to be his homeowner's first step before going to Housing Court. "I have no job," Khan said, "and I have no income."