Eviction Fears Mount For 14K NYC Renters As Moratorium Nears End

NEW YORK CITY — New York City renters calling to "cancel rent" could soon hear another cry from their landlords: pay up or ship out.

A statewide eviction moratorium is slated to expire Wednesday night unless Gov. Andrew Cuomo extends it.

The ban's lapse likely won't lead to mass evictions for renters who couldn't pay rent during the coronavirus — they're still protected from eviction, provided they can prove financial hardship— but advocates worry about another group of disadvantaged tenants.

Roughly 14,000 households who received eviction warrants before the pandemic will be at risk of eviction if the moratorium ends, advocates argue.

"Thousands of families could face likely eviction and homelessness if this crucial moratorium is left to expire," said Judith Goldiner, an attorney with The Legal Aid Society, in a statement.

The Legal Aid Society, alongside other groups, called for Cuomo to extend the moratorium.

Cuomo has been slow to address renters' concerns during the pandemic. He signed a law called the Tenant Safe Harbor Act that protects New Yorkers affected the coronavirus from being evicted, but requires them to show financial hardship in front of a judge, Law360 reported.

And the law's protections don't extend to renters facing eviction before the pandemic.

In short, the city's housing courts could soon restart, renters protected from eviction could face legal hassles and other disadvantaged tenants could be kicked out of their homes.

Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday called for the state to act to ensure renters aren't evicted for economic reasons.

"Because if people are evicted for solely economic reasons, we're going to end up with potentially thousands of people who, unfairly, have their home taken away, and then guess what a lot of them end up in our homeless shelters, which is not fair to anyone," he said.

De Blasio noted the city is expanding a landlord-tenant mediation program. He encouraged all New Yorkers who need help with potential eviction or similar rent-related issues to call 3-1-1.