Renters Worried As Maryland's Eviction Moratorium Expires
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- As Gov. Larry Hogan's executive order prohibiting residential evictions is set to expire Sunday with the rest of the COVID-19 state of emergency, families who are struggling to pay rent are left worrying about the future.
India Wilson-Tremble is currently living in an extended stay hotel in Baltimore with her husband, two teenagers and an adult son who has mental health issues.
"I've been here since July the 8th, on July the 6th I was formally evicted from my house," said Wilson-Tremble.
That eviction came after she and her husband lost their jobs during the pandemic. With a month-to-month lease, they had few options.
There are different programs out there to help, but according to Baltimore Renters United, it can be difficult to make sure landlords are using them
It's an issue Wilson-Tremble said she had with her landlord, and after the additional federal unemployment benefits ended, they couldn't keep up.
"I never imagined anything like this," said Wilson-Tremble.
These are situations that Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot said he is trying to avoid.
"No one, in my view, not one family should lose their home or be evicted while millions of federal dollars are sitting in state bank accounts to prevent this from happening," Franchot said during a recent Board of Public Works meeting.
He's calling on the state to create policies to allocate those funds and create a universal timetable for the eviction process.
"The key here is to pay the landlord some past rent so they don't evict people," said Franchot, "then get the evicted people back to work and actually making money and being able to pay rent."
As for Wilson-Tremble, she said she's a fighter and that with just a little help she knows her family will get back on their feet.