The order, issued on September 4 and in effect until December 31, 2020, states that landlords may not evict a covered person from any residential property during this period. The order does not relieve you of paying the rent but you cannot be evicted if you are unable to do so. You are still required to follow all of the other terms of the lease and nothing in the order prevents the landlord from charging you penalties or late charges if you do not pay the full rent. Furthermore, you may be required to pay the entire amount of unpaid rent and penalties once the order expires at the end of the year.
Covered renters must meet the following criteria:
o You must have attempted to obtain rental and housing assistance from the government
o You cannot expect to earn more than $99,000 if filing singly or $198,000 jointly in 2020
o You must have suffered a substantial loss of income due to decreased hours, layoff or extraordinary medical expenses.
o You must make your best effort to make partial rent payments as your circumstances permit
o Being evicted would likely result in you becoming homeless