News Release

Contrary to Claims “Cuomo’s Order Actually Ends the Eviction Moratorium”

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SUSANNA BLANKLEY, susanna at righttocounselnyc.org, @RTCNYC
While CBS and other outlets have run stories like “Cuomo: No one in New York can be evicted for not paying rent until August 20,” housing rights groups are saying that’s not accurate.

Blankley is coalition coordinator for the Right to Counsel NYC Coalition, which just put out a statement: “On Friday, May 7, New York Governor Cuomo issued an executive order, which he claimed extended the existing eviction moratorium. However, Cuomo’s executive order actually ended rather than extended our current eviction moratorium, putting thousands at risk of displacement. While Governor Cuomo’s public remarks gave the impression that he extended the moratorium until August 20, his order offers tenants very limited protections. It allows landlords to bring cases against renters who cannot pay rent, while offering limited protections to a limited number of households.

“The eviction moratorium that’s currently in place protects all tenants, commercial and residential, from eviction across New York State. Until June 20, no tenant can be evicted for any reason, period. But on Friday, May 7th Governor Cuomo issued a new executive order that ends the eviction moratorium on June 20th, and forces thousands of tenants facing lawsuits to risk their health to fight for their homes.

“By opening the door to all these new eviction cases and evictions, the new Executive Order will quickly take us back to overcrowded housing courts and families facing homelessness — both of which are guaranteed to endanger individual and public health.”