On April 9, 2020 the City Council adopted an evictions moratorium to protect residents and small businesses. The eviction moratorium
temporarily prohibits the eviction of residents and certain commercial tenants for non-payment due to financial impacts related to COVID-19.
Those affected must show proof and will have 14 days from the day the rent is due to
inform their landlord in writing
of their inability to pay. The moratorium will be in place until the City lifts the locally declared emergency.
The moratorium ordinance:
- Creates a temporary moratorium on evictions for non-payment of rent by residential or small commercial tenants impacted by the COVID-19 crisis as long as the City maintains the existence of a COVID-19 emergency.
- Prohibits landlords from evicting small commercial or residential tenants for non-payment of rent if the tenant demonstrates it is unable to pay rent due to financial impacts related to COVID-19.
- No penalties or interest would be accrued during the moratorium and the six month period, but the tenant would have to make the landlord whole by December 31, 2020 (residential tenants) and October 31, 2020 (small commercial tenants). Nothing in the ordinance prohibits the tenant and landlord from agreeing to partial payment of rent during the moratorium so as to decrease the tenant’s financial burden after the moratorium.
A small business is defined as a business that generates five-million dollars ($5,000,000) or less in annual taxable sales.
A tenant must notify their landlord in writing within fourteen (14) days of the date the rent is due.
