July 31, 2020
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
The eviction moratorium for Philadelphia renters has been extended to March 2021, the Philadelphia Housing Authority announced Thursday.
City officials have extended the eviction moratorium once again amid the coronavirus pandemic. Philadelphia renters don't have to worry about evictions until March 2021.
It's Philadelphia Housing Authority's longest-term ruling on the situation since the beginning of the pandemic.
Housing officials said in a release Thursday that the extension aims at protecting low income renters as state and federal protections for such tenants expire.
"PHA wants to assure its 80,000 low-income residents, who have been disproportionately impacted by the virus, that their housing will not be a cause for concern during this period of health and economic uncertainty," states the release.
State protections for renters were recently extended to the end of August by Gov. Tom Wolf, but federal protections for renters expire this week.
The PHA then added that this specific moratorium extension comes with special conditions.
• The moratorium will apply only to matters involving the nonpayment of rent and related fees.
• It does not apply to eviction actions related to health and safety.
• The moratorium does not treat nonpayment of rent and fees during this period as forgiven.
• Individuals are still responsible for any rent or money owed under the terms of the lease agreement.
• Residents who can pay their rent are strongly encouraged to do so in accordance with the terms of the lease agreement.
• Residents who are unable to pay or who face a financial hardship should immediately apply for a PHA Hardship Waiver or request to enter into a payment plan.
The PHA had recently extended the moratorium in early July to expire by the end of August. This recent announcement comes before the previous moratorium period has come to an end.
The initial moratorium was announced mid-March for a period of 30 days, along with additional protections for homeowners and utility payments offered by organizations outside the PHA.
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