NEW ORLEANS - At this Thursday's regular meeting, Councilmember Jared Brossett will introduce a resolution urging New Orleans First and Second City Court officials to suspend residential evictions until August 24, 2020, the deadline established in the federal CARES Act. The many changes in deadlines and suspensions for the possible reopening of courts to residential evictions have created incredible uncertainty for renters and landlords.
The CARES Act prohibits many landlords from charging late fees, issuing a notice to vacate, or filing for eviction until July 25. Since landlords must provide tenants with a notice to vacate before filing for eviction, and the CARES Act requires the notice to vacate provide at least 30 days, the earliest an eviction proceeding can be filed in accordance with the Act is be August 24.
The CARES Act protections will be incredibly difficult to enforce and educate the public about without ensuring protections are universal. Per Resolution R-20-110, a policy that extends the closure of courts to residential evictions will also help to avoid the confusion and additional paperwork sure to ensue from opening courts to full dockets of cases mostly comprised of landlords prohibited from evicting under the CARES Act.
"So many New Orleanians and their families have lost income and jobs during this pandemic and were late or unable to pay April and May rent as a result," said Councilmember Brossett. "The protections provided under the CARES Act will be absolutely vital to provide them with some much-needed relief and assistance to be able to put a plan together and begin catching up on their bills."
Thursday's regular meeting will be held virtually due to the ongoing stay at home mandate. The meeting may be accessed using the following methods:
For additional information, or to view the full meeting agenda, visit council.nola.gov.