Evictions Banned In PA During Coronavirus Crisis: AG

HARRISBURG, PA — With rent payments due at the beginning of the month, Pennsylvania officials are reminding residents and landlords that evictions are halted during the coronavirus pandemic.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court ordered courts closed to eviction proceedings due to the COVID-19 state of emergency, Attorney General Josh Shapiro confirmed.

The Court’s order is applicable to all Pennsylvania property owners, managers, landlords, as well as mortgage brokers and lenders, Shapiro said.

In a March 30 letter, Shapiro wrote landlords and mortgage lenders, urging them to extend the time during which eviction proceedings are suspended "to give affected Pennsylvanians time to get back on their feet."

“With millions of Pennsylvanians following Governor Wolf’s direction to stay at home, it is critical that rental evictions cease for the duration of this emergency,” the Attorney General wrote in his letter.

Last week, more than 650,000 Pennsylvanians filed for unemployment as the growing crisis demonstrated its implications across various industries. "That means that 10 percent of all of Pennsylvania workers have lost work, not to mention the thousands more who have lost wages," Shapiro wrote in his letter.

Further, the Attorney General said he's currently working to go beyond the existing state Supreme Court order and an existing federal order from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which prevents evictions and foreclosures on properties insured by the Federal Housing Administration.

“Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians have lost wages and jobs during this crisis and we will need time for businesses to reopen and for our economy to come back when the emergency is lifted. Stable housing is part of the foundation we need as a Commonwealth to fully recover.

If you believe that you have been wrongfully evicted from your home or wrongfully had your property foreclosed, file a complaint with the Office of Attorney General.