Massachusetts House passes eviction moratorium bill to address economic impact of COVID-19

Updated Apr 02, 2020; Posted Apr 02, 2020 

 

By Steph Solis | ssolis@masslive.com

The House passed a bill Thursday that would grant a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures for residents and business owners who cannot afford to pay because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The bill, H.1279, bars landlords from charging late fees or sending reports to credit rating agencies if tenants notify them within 30 days of a late payment. The provisions last for up to 30 days after the governor lifts the state of emergency over COVID-19.

“During these unprecedented times, we need to do whatever we can to keep people healthy, safe and in their homes,” House Speaker Robert DeLeo, a Winthrop Democrat, said in a statement. “This legislation shields tenants and homeowners from economic insecurity during and immediately after the period of the state of emergency."

The Senate advanced its own housing bill, S. 2621, and plans to take it up next week. The House and Senate would need to either come together behind one bill or merge their proposals into one version before it can land on the governor’s desk and become law.

The House bill also bars landlords from sending “notice to quit” letters, which notifies tenants of a landlord’s desire to terminate a lease, and prohibits sheriff’s officers from enforcing an eviction execution until 30 days after the state of emergency ends.

There is an exemption for emergency evictions that involve allegations of criminal activity or certain lease violations that could affect public health or public safety, according to the bill. Under those conditions, a landlord would need to send a 10-day “notice to quit” in writing.

Both the House and Senate bills established a moratorium on foreclosure actions for the same time frame, but that doesn’t mean people are free from making mortgage payments.

DeLeo and Senate President Karen Spilka said more than a week ago that they were working on housing legislation in response to the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Massachusetts is one of the states hardest hit by job losses due to the pandemic. The Bay State had 181,062 initial unemployment claims for the week ending on March 28, up from 148,452 a week earlier, according to a report published Thursday by the U.S. Department of Labor. The previous week’s initial claims alone were more than all the claims the state received for the entire month of February.

More than 60 organizations signed onto a letter urging lawmakers to pass a housing relief bill by April 1, the State House News Service reported.

“Action is needed now to protect these families,” the groups wrote. “The emergency moratorium should be definitive about protecting people from all stages of eviction and foreclosure processes until the end of the crisis, since at this time new cases are still being filed, landlords holding executions are free to use them to throw people out of their homes, and many homeowners remain vulnerable to foreclosure.”

Gov. Charlie Baker said evictions and foreclosures should not move forward as long as the courts are closed, but noted that details were being worked out by lawmakers.

“We know you are worried and we are going to do everything we can to ensure nobody loses their housing because of this crisis,” Baker said last week.