The federal eviction moratorium has been extended once more until the end of July, giving tenants more time to get back on their feet and giving states more time to distribute emergency rental assistance. Though this is welcome news for struggling tenants, eviction moratoriums are not without negative consequences.

One unintended outcome is deferred maintenance. If the tenant is not paying rent, many landlords—especially independent “mom and pop” landlords—cannot afford to provide proper upkeep.

The loss of rental income has caused many landlords to defer maintenance, but putting off maintenance is bad for everyone.

For tenants, disrepair deteriorates the safety and habitability of their homes, affecting their health and quality of life. For landlords, deferred maintenance could result in more expensive future repairs.

Many state housing finance authorities offer low-cost loans to aid landlords with repairs, though not all landlords are aware of these options. States that offer these programs could better promote their availability through direct outreach to landlords and public relations campaigns.

More importantly, the number of landlords who are postponing maintenance reinforces the need to allocate emergency rental assistance (ERA) as quickly as feasible. As we recently noted, states are struggling to distribute ERA, and renters, unsure of their eligibility and confused by the applications, are not applying for it. Recent US Department of the Treasury data on ERA compliance indicate that even though the pace of distribution is increasing, only $3.0 billion of the $25 billion of the emergency rental assistance authorized in December had been distributed by the end of June.

Read the full article about eviction moratoriums and independent landlords during COVID-19 at Urban Institute.