If you live in Oregon, the deadline to pay back overdue rent is coming up quickly.
Tenants who've been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic have until Monday, February 28, to catch up on delayed payments, according to KPTV. Landlords can demand rent from April 2020 to June 2021. They also can also start evictions again under certain conditions, which is leaving many tenants scared.
"People are extremely worried; tenants all over the state are in stress over this,” Kim McCarty, executive director of the Community Alliance of Tenants, told reporters. "We are really concerned about growing homelessness in Oregon and it can only get worse if the needs of tenants aren’t met."
The state gave renters until the end of February to pay back rent after the statewide eviction moratorium ended last summer. Reporters say it also acted as a "grace period" for Oregon officials to dish out $250 million in rental assistance to struggling tenants who lost their jobs during the pandemic. McCarthy says some people are still waiting to be approved for rental assistance, while others haven't gotten their money yet.
Meanwhile, some landlords are eager to collect overdue rent and can even sue tenants if they don't pay by Monday.
“There are a lot of landlords who are still out some money,” according to Ron Garcia, the executive director of the Rental Housing Alliance of Oregon. "In truth, there are some tenants that are financially stable now, that did owe that money and they have to now pay the piper; it’s time to pay."
You can read more about this here along with tips and resources.