The U.S. Supreme Court has blocked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) new targeted nationwide eviction moratorium which applied to counties in the U.S. experiencing “substantial and high levels of community transmission levels of COVID-19” which covers more than 90% of all renters in the U.S. The Supreme Court ruling only applies to the federal eviction moratorium and any state or local moratoriums remain in effect.
In its decision, the Court stated, “The moratorium has put the applicants, along with millions of landlords across the country, at risk of irreparable harm by depriving them of rent payments with no guarantee of eventual recovery. Despite the CDC’s determination that landlords should bear a significant financial cost of the pandemic, many landlords have modest means. And preventing them from evicting tenants who breach their leases intrudes on one of the most fundamental elements of property ownership—the right to exclude.” The order further stated that “if a federally imposed eviction moratorium is to continue, Congress must specifically authorize it.”
Tenants can still apply for rental assistance through their county CAP agency.