DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - A handful of states, including Illinois, will soon end eviction moratoriums.
Congress recently approved billions for those behind on rent. The race is on to get as many tenants and landlords the assistance they need. Time is running out.Â
Landlords will have one of the two items on their desk - the rent money or the eviction notice. Lavelle Hunt, a landlord in Decatur, told WAND News he is not expecting to file for evictions. However, he sees how the business of property investment took a financial punch to the gut.Â
"As landlords we still have taxes, we still got insurance, we got maintenance," Hunt said. "I have relatives and friends that have a long list of evictions that they'll be filing."Â
Lawyers in Central Illinois are expecting a flood of paperwork. Matt C. Spain is an attorney. He speculated hundreds of incoming eviction cases in Macon County.Â
The federal eviction moratorium expires at the end of July, but there are important dates Illinoisans need to be aware of.Â
July 18
That's the deadline to apply for the Illinois Rental Assistance Program. One could be eligible for up to 15 months of rental pay. The money should cover back-rent owed from June 2020 through August 2021.Â
July 23
Gov. JB Pritzker is expected to issue an executive order that will allow landlord to file for evictions on Aug. 1. However, the enforcement of evictions will not happen until after Aug. 31.Â
"That would only apply to covered individuals-individuals who have been affected by the pandemic," Spain explained.Â
State officials with the Illinois Department of Human Services estimated tens of thousands of households are vulnerable to evictions in 2021. Approximately 414,000 vulnerable Illinoisans households are experiencing housing insecurities.Â
