A record week for evictions
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The Richmond City Sheriff's Office is scheduled to execute 126 evictions this week, the largest number on record since statewide eviction protections ended earlier this year.
Why it matters: The number of eviction filings has been increasing for months, but tenants who can't pay their rent typically end up leaving well before the sheriff knocks on the door to forcibly remove them.
The large number of homes the sheriff's department is planning to visit this week is in part a reflection of how few options are left for low-income renters, Martin Wegbreit, the litigation director of the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society, tells Axios.
- Vacancy rates are down, and rents have shot up around the city, with a majority of renters reporting increases of $100 or more, per VCU's Eviction Lab.
Catch up fast: Eviction protections ended in June.
- Since then, filings have returned to pre-pandemic levels, and in one case, a 500-unit apartment complex has moved to evict nearly half its tenants.