The scheduled end of an eviction moratorium last week spurred confusion and action. While the White House and Congress debated where responsibility lie, the final task was put on President Biden’s office. The President put out a plan to avoid evictions for another two months in areas that are being hit hardest by COVID-19.
The moratorium was extended through a CDC emergency order, the same type of order that was just both upheld and called unconstitutional in a 5-4 Supreme Court ruling. The entire implementation was a bit of a mess as even Biden said that the new targeted moratorium may be viewed as unconstitutional as well. It remains to be seen what kind of legal challenges the order may face, but there is clearly room for a challenge.
The entire process had a flair for the dramatic that included a looming deadline and a sit-in on the Capitol steps.
In terms of keeping people in their homes, the biggest question of the next two months will be whether or not the government can do a better job of getting funds like the allocated $46 billion in rental assistance to its citizens. As of late July, only $3 billion had been distributed, with complicated forms, worry over fraud, and lack of public awareness contributing to the meager figure. This will need to be a critical priority for the coming weeks as both renters and landlords are in dire need of money.
For county recording offices and courts, depending on where they’re located, the tidal wave of paperwork has only been temporarily delayed. While many of the headlines have focused on renters, foreclosures are about to hit homeowners hard. In cities like Miami, just under 8% of those with mortgages are delinquent. This will result in a massive influx of work for mortgage servicers and recorders and an extra two months to prepare should be helpful.
Extract offers software to places like land records offices that helps them manage variable volumes. Using technology to automate processes like indexing or redaction frees up a stretched staff to take care of other office tasks. You can get more information specifically on how we help with land records here.
About the Author: Chris Mack
Chris is a Marketing Manager at Extract with experience in product development, data analysis, and both traditional and digital marketing. Chris received his bachelor’s degree in English from Bucknell University and has an MBA from the University of Notre Dame. A passionate marketer, Chris strives to make complex ideas more accessible to those around him in a compelling way.