Eviction Moratoria

Abstract

standard Economics 101 anecdote: Law of the Maximum, adopted in revolutionary France in 1793. The problem was a shortage of bread in Paris. The law set a maximum price that could be charged for bread, with capital punishment for violators. Bakers were guillotined. The result was fewer bakers and less bread.While that is a considerable oversimplification of history, the basic point is valid -politically popular solutions to problems often precisely contradict economic reasoning.In the US today, beginning in March 2020, moratoriums on evictions for nonpayment of rent have been enacted at many levels of government. The moratorium of widest application and longest survival was ordered by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), starting September 4, 2020, and just extended again at this writing (June 26, 2021the extension is promised to be the last one).The rationale for the CDC order rests entirely on one foundational claim, i.e., that evictions increase residential crowding. The crowding leads to higher transmissions of COVID-19, which leads to more illness and death. No empirical evidence or theory is offered for the proposition that evictions increase crowding.

Housing-related companion animal relinquishment across 21 animal shelters in the United States from 2019–2023

“…State and local eviction moratoria were also instituted, also varying greatly in content and timeline. Forty-four states implemented additional eviction moratoria effective between March 15, 2020 and at least June 30, 2021 ( 35 ). During this time period, shelter operations were also significantly impacted as many were forced to change their open-door policies to the community to appointment-based services ( 36 ).…”