Freeze on evictions for non-payment was extended until August 1 in Florida

DORAL, FL – Up until Tuesday afternoon June 30, many people around Florida were facing the possibility of losing their homes due to the state’s suspension on non-payment evictions and foreclosures ending on July 1.

That changed abruptly when Governor Ron DeSantis signed an executive order later that day extending his suspension of all foreclosures and residential evictions to 12:01 a.m. August 1. 

“I think there’s 2,600-plus evictions just sitting in courts right now — just waiting to get writs of possession…That’s a lot of people on the street.” said Miami attorney David Winker to Patch.com

The extension, however, does not relieve the tenant’s obligation to pay, but it provides an extra month to find a solution to pay rent or mortgage before landlords can take action, although with the current executive order landlords can still send out eviction notices.

The difference remains in the fact that even with an eviction notice, law enforcement will not enforce evictions and court hearing won’t happen, as reported by News 6 Orlando. 

In this period of time, tenants can reach a payment agreement with their landlord or lender as they continue to fix their economic situation. 

In addition, there is also a current federal moratorium on evictions, under the federal CARES Act, until July 25 but it only applies to certain properties, including federal-backed mortgages, public housing and section 8 housing. To know if your property is included, click on the following link. 

But if you continue to struggle to make end meets, which involves rent or mortgage payment, you can benefit from the $240 million in funding for rental assistance for affordable housing tenants, along with rent and mortgage assistance, that was announced last week by Gov. DeSantis. 

Half of the funding will go toward helping tenants around the state who have been struggling to pay rent due to the coronavirus and the other $120 million, to local housing offices.

Homeowners and renters can also contact U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselors who can help people with their financial challenges.