CT Eviction Moratorium Being Extended: Lamont

CONNECTICUT — Gov. Ned Lamont announced that he would extend the state’s eviction moratorium from Jan. 1 to Feb. 9.

Lamont’s expanded emergency powers are set to expire on Feb. 9. They were due to expire in September, but were extended after a legislative committee voted on a party line basis to not block the extension.

“That non-eviction gives us more time, say another five, six weeks at minimum, unless the legislature would like to extend it, to allow landlords and tenants to negotiate a way that people get to stay in their homes,” Lamont said at a Friday news conference.

Congress is expected to vote on another coronavirus relief bill Friday or this weekend; Lamont expects rent relief to be part of it.

There are more than 107,000 people in Connecticut who say they are behind on rent payments, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. The CT Fair Housing Center estimates the number could be closer to 200,000.

Connecticut’s eviction moratorium was set to expire Oct. 1, but it was extended to Jan. 1. The moratorium applies to tenants who were up-to-date on their rent payments before the pandemic and have made an effort to pay at least a portion of their rent since.

Lamont authorized $40 million of its federal CARES Act funding for a temporary rental housing assistance program that paid landlords on behalf of their tenants. Another $10 million was earmarked for mortgage relief assistance for homeowners.