New York extends eviction moratorium into January

New York lawmakers have extended sweeping, pandemic-related eviction protections into next year.

The state becomes the first to put new protections in place following the Supreme Court's rejecting the Biden administration's attempt to extend the Trump-ear moratorium. 

The moratorium, which was passed by the State Legislature on Wednesday, will extend eviction protections through January 15, 2022.

Brendan Cheney, the director of policy and communications for the New York Housing Conference, an organization that advocates for affordable housing, said it gives renters "more time and more stability" to access the rent relief program that the state has run into trouble distributing. Just 7% of the state's more than $2.7 billion in rent relief assistance has been distributed since the program started.

"It's clear based on the program that very few of those people (those behind on their rent) have gotten the money they need," Cheney told the New York Times.

According to the National Equity Atlas, more than 700,000 households in New York are behind on rent, a number second only to California, where closer to 750,000 are behind. 

Lawmakers were summoned back to Albany by Gov. Kathy Hochul to extend the moratorium after the state's initial moratorium expired on Tuesday.

State lawmakers think the extension will comport with the Supreme Court's ruling on the state's previous moratorium, a part of which was blocked last month by the high court when the justices ruled in favor of a group of New York landlords.

The new moratorium will carve out some measures that landlords will be able to take in order to commence eviction proceedings if a tenant has, for instance, heavily damaged the property.