Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker extends moratorium on housing evictions
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Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Friday he was extending a host of coronavirus-related executive orders for another 30 days, including an extension of a moratorium on evictions.
Under the new gubernatorial order, which runs through Dec. 12, tenants must sign a form declaring that they meet certain qualifications, including an income limit of $99,000 for individuals or $198,000 for joint tax filers. They also must attest that they are unable to make housing payments due to a COVID-19-related hardship and would likely be homeless or forced to live in close quarters if evicted. Tenants also have to be making their “best efforts to make timely partial payments that are as close to the full payment as the individual’s circumstances may permit.”
Pritzker called the extension “the right thing to do to protect our most vulnerable residents.”
“But landlords and property owners are a crucial part of Illinois' housing cycle, just as much as renters, and they deserve protection too,” he said. “So with input from smaller landlords and property owners, this new moratorium will ensure that the rents are paid by tenants who may have been taking advantage of the eviction moratorium but who are in, fact, able to make their monthly rent payments.”
Since the moratorium began in the spring, opponents have argued that the blanket approach was creating financial hardship for small landlords.
“We are grateful that Gov. Pritzker has fine-tuned his residential eviction moratorium rules so landlords are not taken advantage of by tenants who withhold rent payments without cause or demonstrated financial losses due to COVID-19,” Michael Mini, executive vice president of the Chicagoland Apartment Association, said in a statement Friday. “In tens of thousands of instances, landlords are working with tenants in offering extended grace periods and manageable payment plans.”
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