The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) each announced Friday that their coronavirus pandemic-driven eviction moratoria, which protect homeowners and renters from eviction in the event of nonpayment of rent, will be extended through Sept. 30, 2021.
The FHFA’s single-family real estate owned (REO) moratorium was set to expire on July 31, 2021 and applies to properties acquired by mortgage giants Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac through foreclosure or deed-in-lieu of foreclosure transactions or properties backed by the FHA.
“The pandemic continues to have an outsized impact on the ability of Americans to meet their monthly rent or mortgage payments,” FHFA Acting Director Sandra Thompson said in a statement. “Today’s extension of the eviction moratorium protects particularly vulnerable Americans who otherwise would be at risk of losing a place to live.”
Currently, more than seven million renters were behind on their rent in May, and about half of those renters are at risk of eviction in the coming months, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.