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'lt was humiliating.’ Evictions in these cities are worse than before Covid
A toxic mix of surging rental rates and vanishing support for renters has catapulted evictions above pre-pandemic levels in some major cities.
Evictions have increased most significantly in Sun Belt cities where housing affordability has worsened and where renters often have fewer protections.
Tenant eviction filings are well above the pre-Covid average in Gainesville, Florida (+46%); Las Vegas (+43%); Houston (+42%); Phoenix (+35%); Nashville, Tennessee (+31%); and Fort Worth, Texas (+25%), according to records tracked by the Eviction Lab at Princeton University.
Other cities, including Minneapolis (+44%) and Columbus, Ohio (+37%), are also experiencing higher levels of evictions than before the pandemic.
Three-quarters of the 34 cities tracked by the Eviction Lab saw evictions increase between 2022 and 2023. More than half are above pre-pandemic levels.
The vast majority of evictions are for issues related to nonpayment of rent, according to the Eviction Lab.
Experts blame a combination of higher rent, the expiration of Covid-era protections and policies that make it easier for landlords to evict tenants in some cities and states.
“There has been a real erosion of housing affordability — especially at the low end. Affordable housing has really disappeared,” said Chris Salviati, senior housing economist at rental platform Apartment List.
‘Shame and panic’
Although rent hikes have eased recently, rent is still 21% more expensive nationally since March 2020, according to Apartment List.
Some cities with elevated eviction filings have seen even bigger rent hikes, including Nashville (+22%), Phoenix (+25%), Columbus (+27%) and Las Vegas (+29%).
Kristolyn Lloyd, an award-winning actress in New York City, fell behind on rent when her roommate left during Covid and she was stuck paying for her two-bedroom Manhattan apartment on her own.
“There just wasn’t a lot of incentive to finding a random person to live with when you’re a Black woman in the middle of the pandemic,” Lloyd, who has appeared in shows on and off Broadway, told CNN in a phone interview.
Eventually, Lloyd’s landlord gave her 10 to 15 days to come up with the $15,000 in rent she owed — or face eviction.
Evictions in Pandemic Boomtowns Are Surging as Rents Rise
Evictions are surging in some of the most popular COVID-19 pandemic boomtowns for one simple reason: The rent is too high.
www.realtor.com
Evictions in Pandemic Boomtowns Are Surging as Rents Rise
Nearly two years after the federal government lifted COVID-19 pandemic-era eviction moratoriums, evictions are surging in some of the most popular boomtowns for one simple reason: The rent is too high.
Princeton University’s Eviction Lab tracks eviction filings across 10 states and 34 cities and recorded 1,078,856 evictions nationwide over the past year.
The lab’s data doesn’t comprehensively cover all parts of the country. But Communications and Policy Engagement Manager Juan Pablo Garnham notes that, while boomtowns aren’t necessarily the places with the most evictions, the cities are experiencing the highest percentage increase in the number of evictions filed compared with pre-pandemic times.
Popular boomtowns like Minneapolis and Columbus, OH, are seeing a steep increase in the number of evictions filed compared with pre-pandemic numbers, according to the lab’s data. In Minneapolis, evictions have climbed by 44% compared with 2019 levels, while Columbus’ rate has increased by 37%.
Even now that the pandemic is in the rearview mirror, people are still moving to these areas, which is also contributing to the high eviction rates.
Eviction rates are increasing due to high rent and the economy.
People are struggling to pay rent and other which will be a main issue for the upcoming election.
