City of Berkeley to Begin Transitioning Out of Eviction Moratorium
April 27, 2023
CITY OF BERKELEY TO BEGIN TRANSITIONING OUT OF EVICTION MORATORIUM
A Transition Period will begin on May 1st, with the entire moratorium, which went into effect at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, to sunset on September 1st, 2023
BERKELEY, CA - Starting on Monday, May 1st, Berkeley’s COVID-19 eviction moratorium will enter a Transition Period. Currently, all residential tenant evictions are prohibited in Berkeley, except to stop an imminent threat to the health and safety of other occupants.
“This transition period provides clear timelines that maximizes our ability to support tenants and landlords who have been impacted by this pandemic,” said Mayor Jesse Arreguin. “This action also enables us more time to provide outreach and support, including providing financial assistance to tenants who have fallen behind rent and landlords who need to recoup losses.”
During the Transition Period, which lasts from May 1st through August 31st, evictions can proceed for non-payment of rent unless the tenant provides documentation of a COVID-related reason for failing to pay the rent. Evictions can also commence for owner move-ins. A tenant cannot be evicted for non-payment of rent that happened before May 1st, but a landlord can take civil action to recover unpaid rent.
Starting on September 1st, the eviction moratorium will completely end, with rules returning to the way it was before the pandemic. The eviction moratorium was approved by the City Council on March 17th, 2020, the same day Health Officers throughout the Bay Area declared a shelter in place in response to the emerging virus. Council finalized the plan for phasing out the eviction moratorium at its March 21st, 2023 meeting.
The City Council has also recently taken action to increase funding to its Housing Retention Program, where qualified households who are at risk of losing housing due to non-payment of rent can receive up to $15,000 in grants. The program was expanded during the pandemic to support those who have been financially impacted by COVID-19.
The status of eviction moratoriums vary throughout California, with many ending once the State’s COVID-19 state of emergency ended on February 28th, 2023. Alameda County’s eviction moratorium concludes on April 29th. The Oakland City Council recently voted to end its eviction moratorium on July 15th. San Francisco’s eviction moratorium will expire 60 days after its local state of emergency ends, which has not yet been determined. The federal government’s COVID-19 state of emergency ends on May 11th. Berkeley’s local state of emergency is still in effect.
Berkeley has among the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the country, with 92% of the population being fully vaccinated (having completed a primary series) and 43% having received a bivalent booster (which was introduced in September 2022 to provide protection against the Omicron variants). Nationwide, 69% of the population is fully vaccinated and 18% have received a bivalent booster. Berkeley also has one of the lowest death rates from COVID-19 in the country, with 62 deaths per 100,000 people. Nationwide, the death rate is 341 deaths per 100,000 people.
Tenants and landlords that have questions regarding the changes to the eviction moratorium are encouraged to contact the Rent Stabilization Board at 510-981-7368.