Ban On Evictions To End In August; How State Will Help Renters

ILLINOIS — Nearly 17 months after the state banned evictions at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Monday that the moratorium will slowly be phased out over the next three months. Come August, landlords and property companies will be allowed to evict tenants who are still unable to pay their rent. But Illinois officials say programs will be in place to help tenants pay what they owe.

Illinois residents who lost their jobs or took a pay cut due to COVID-19 can apply for up to $25,000 in rent assistance to cover missed payments. If a tenant is able to get the maximum amount, the money should cover a rent of up to $1,470/month since March of 2020.

Applications and eligibility standards are available online at illinoishousinghelp.org.

State officials plan to spend $1.5 billion total in efforts to prevent evictions. Mortgage assistance is also on the docket, but the program has not been launched yet.

To further prevent a housing crisis, Pritzker sealed eviction court records between March 2020 and March 2022, which will help Illinois residents be accepted into new places to live.

A recent survey by the Neighborhood Building Owners Alliance found that Chicago housing providers have lost $1 billion in rent since the start of the pandemic.

The moratorium on eviction in Illinois was modified after a few months to only cover renters who earn less than $99,000 a year — or $198,000 if a couple files jointly — to align with the federal ban on evictions, officials said.

Though another study by the Lawyers' Committee for Better Housing and the Center for Urban Research & Learning at Loyola University found that 21,000 households still stand to lose their rental homes once the ban is lifted in August. The newest round of assistance hopes to stabilize renters and landlords alike.

Additional funds are available through the state’s Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program and the Utility Disconnection Avoidance Program, officials said. Applications and eligibility standards are available online at HelpIllinoisFamilies.com.

Chicago will be able to push back the end of the moratorium another two months after the state's ban is listed, but officials said they are planing their own round of renter's assistance come this summer.