Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Kit: Residential Tenants' Rights

Summary

Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, federal, state, and local restrictions have halted many residential evictions. The most far-reaching of these restrictions came on September 1, 2020, when the federal government, acting through the CDC, banned the eviction of residential tenants facing COVID-19-induced hardship. In the face of mounting legal challenges, the ban was extended several times, but on July 31, 2021, the CDC let the ban expire. On August 3, 2021, the CDC issued a new, more targeted ban that applies to renters in counties experiencing "substantial or high rates of transmission." The ban was set to expire on October 3, 2021, but on August 26, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked it, ruling that the CDC had overreached its authority.