Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) introduced legislation Monday to extend and expand a nationwide eviction moratorium to protect tenants who may be struggling to pay rent during the coronavirus pandemic, Vox reports.
The big picture: The economic fallout has made it difficult for low-income renters to make timely payments, adding new burdens to the country's longstanding housing problems.
- About 20% of renter households saw at least one household member lose a job within the past two months, according to the Urban Institute.
The backdrop: The CARES Act granted a 120-day rent moratorium for renters in federally assisted housing, which is set to expire on July 25.
- Warren's bill, the Protecting Renters from Evictions and Fees Act, extends those protections for an additional eight months and would extend benefits to almost all renters.
- Landlords would not be allowed to charge fees for renters who do not pay and would require a 30-day eviction notice after the moratorium ends.
What she's saying: "Renters who have lost their job or had their income reduced shouldn’t have to fear losing their homes in the middle of a pandemic. Housing is a human right and an absolute necessity to keep families safe during this crisis, and Congress must step in now to help keep people in their homes," Warren told Vox.