When Are Landlords Able to Serve Notices Again and What is the Status of The Other COVID-19 Emergency Orders?

Posted by Tristan R. Pettit, Esq. in COVID-19 / Comments

UPDATED 5-27-20

Trying to keep track and make sense of the numerous state, county, and municipal orders not to mention the federal laws related to Coivd-19 is difficult at best. So, I thought I would put together this update so that everyone is on the same page.1

• Governor Evers’ Emergency Order # 15 – Temporary Ban on Notices, Evictions and the filing of Writs – ends on Tuesday, May 26, 2020. To be safe I am encouraging clients to wait until Wednesday, May 27th to serve any notices, file any eviction actions, or file any writs with the Sheriff's Department. After waiting all of this time, plus the additional wait time for the case to get heard in court, why risk the chance that a Court might dismiss your eviction stating that you served the notice too early or filed the eviction too early. You have had to be patient this long, what is one more day for peace of mind. So on May 27th, you are able to serve failure to pay rent notices, non-rent breach notices, and send notices of non-renewal.

• BUT, if your rental property is covered by the CARES Act, which includes those properties with mortgages backed by Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae, or properties that receive Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), accept Section 8 vouchers (only applies to the unit with the voucher not the entire building), or are site-based Sec 8 housing and various other programs, you are prohibited from serving a notice for failure to pay rent or filing an eviction for failure to pay rent until after July 25th. It is important to note that the CARES Act does not prohibit the service of notices for non-rent breaches or filing an eviction based on same.

• Per DATCP’s Order 20-R-02, Landlord is prohibited from charging any late fees or late rent penalties for any missed rent payments during the current Public Health Emergency, which started on March 12th (Executive Order #72), and runs for an additional 90 days after the end of the Public Health Emergency. So we will not know when this prohibition for charging late fees will end until we learn when the Public Health Emergency has ended.