TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Economic fallout from COVID has cranked up concerns about evictions as tenants have trouble paying. There are Federal protections to reduce evictions in the pandemic but Pima County Supervisors are concerned about evictions that could bypass those safeguards.
Federal restrictions from the Centers for Disease Control restrict evictions if they could increase health risks in general--- or the risk of spreading COVID because someone is put out of a home. Those protections are based on whether someone has trouble paying the rent.
Landlords and their lawyers spoke at this week’s Supervisors meeting. They say compared to keeping a tenant, an eviction is a loss for everyone. They want county rental assistance programs to move much faster to channel Federal grants to help tenants pay rent and help landlords cover their expenses.
Steve Huffman of the Tucson Association of Realtors reminded Supervisors tenants will still have to pay back rent and if they can’t it could hurt them long term.
“Many of them have huge judgments that will be issued against them eventually they will owe back rent for the time that they have not been paying rent, those judgments will create bad credit, and will interfere with future housing opportunities, and also future job opportunities.”
Tenants who create other problems beside non-payment or rent can still be taken to court and evicted.
But Pima Supervisors are concerned about reports of people evicted over questionable claims like a car parked in the wrong space or a toilet clogged too many times.
Chairperson Sharon Bronson says these eviction issues are focused by COVID but call for a broader look at how people become homeless.
“We are addressing basically the pandemic issues right now, but this may be, you know, an opportunity to just began the discussion about the larger discussion about homelessness and addiction down the road.”
Supervisors agreed to ask an existing task force on evictions during COVID to take a fresh look at eviction issues, especially in light of possible policy changes under the Biden Administration.
