{"id":6885,"date":"2025-03-03T17:09:08","date_gmt":"2025-03-03T17:09:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/?p=6885"},"modified":"2025-03-03T17:09:08","modified_gmt":"2025-03-03T17:09:08","slug":"legislation-focused-on-speedy-evictions-may-be-chance-for-some-renters-to-consider-homeownership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/?p=6885","title":{"rendered":"Legislation Focused on Speedy Evictions May be Chance for Some Renters to Consider Homeownership"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>by\u00a0<span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/zerline-hughes-spruill\/\">Zerline Hughes Spruill<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Renters in the District\u2019s affordable housing units are making a clear statement by not paying their rents: the cost is too high. During a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=j_6vQbkwf-0&amp;t=904s\">press conference<\/a>\u00a0held at City Hall earlier this month, Mayor Muriel Bowser, alongside a panel of housing leaders and affordable housing providers stated that rent collection in Washington, D.C., is at an all-time low.<\/p>\n<p>Pointing to the global coronavirus pandemic when renters\u2013and homeowners alike\u2013around the nation were unable to make housing payments, one housing provider said \u201cthe impacts [of COVID] continue to be felt very deeply here [in D.C.], more so than anywhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In an effort to \u201crebalance\u201d expectations for tenants and \u201cprotect\u201d the existing affordable housing marketplace, the mayor introduced new, emergency legislation that will restore rent and eviction notices to the pre-pandemic timeline of six months, compared to the current 24 months.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-1    \">\n<div class=\"newspack_global_ad scaip-1 fixed-height\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-caf9af3267-0\">\n<p>\u201cThe purpose is not to increase evictions,\u201d said Deputy Mayor Nina Albert during the press conference. \u201cThe purpose is to bring the tenant and the landlord to the table earlier and faster. This allows workouts to occur and this allows for a real dialogue and to address the tenants\u2019 issues as to why they are not able to pay. We also want to make sure that we can strengthen the ability of landlords for the protection of the tenants in their building, that if there is a single tenant that has been arrested or convicted of a violent crime that there is an expedited process for eviction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Legislation Doubling as a Golden Parachute<\/strong><strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While the effort aims to protect renters and developers, the legislation which may seem prohibitive or invasive could, in fact, inspire residents to consider transitioning into homeownership. Becoming master of one\u2019s own domain traditionally helps former renters appreciate the benefits of ownership and feel empowered to care for a home with the understanding that no one can intervene in decision making or creep in with rules.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it\u2019s a wonderful opportunity and there have been opportunities before but the average renter doesn\u2019t have the credit rating,\u201d said Phyllis Cureton, a real estate agent for Samson Properties and Brookland landlord. \u201cEven when they come to me as a landlord, their credit isn\u2019t stellar. I tell people all the time, go to HPAP, NACA, Manna. All of them have programs that will help you get ready and in shape for buying a house and getting your credit ready. Here are all these free systems you can use to learn more and prepare yourself for a mortgage and that will help you with interest rates, down payment assistance. They\u2019re wonderful programs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fort DuPont resident and luxury real estate agent Julian Reynolds Williams agrees. She, too, referred to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/start-planning-now-with-d-c-prince-georges-county-home-ownership-support\/\">District\u2019s home buying initiatives<\/a>\u00a0including the Home Purchasers Assistance Program (HPAP), Neighborhood Assistance of Corporate American (NACA) and Manna Homes, in addition to the Employer-Assisted Housing Program for District employees that renters and return homebuyers can take advantage of if they choose to use this moment to transition from renting.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-2    \">\n<div class=\"newspack_global_ad scaip-2 fixed-height\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-2bd992b9b0-0\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cHomeownership is always a good idea,\u201d said Williams, who is licensed to sell homes in D.C. and Florida. \u201cThe fact that the District has these resources in place to actually help people become homeowners, I\u2019m surprised most people aren\u2019t taking advantage of it. Not everyone has that nest egg. This generation is not nest egging and they don\u2019t have up front cash. Other than credit, that\u2019s usually the challenge is to have that chunk of change to put down. \u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Financial Strain, Impact for Developers<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia, rent collections are $.96 to the dollar for every $1 owed, which is consistent across the nation. However, Janine Lind, president of the Community Development Division of Enterprise Community Partners said the District\u2019s collection rate is not sustainable and is causing her not-for-profit company to curb spending on services for residents that are paying their rent.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to rents not being paid, subsidies or vouchers aren\u2019t coming in because residents haven\u2019t reapplied for reinstatement, and court systems have not helped to facilitate payment, said Lind. Furthermore, the loss of income is keeping the company from getting approved bank loans for new affordable housing properties in Washington.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor Enterprise Community Development in 2021, we were on average running an annual $1.3 million in unpaid rent across our 17 properties in the District, very manageable for us to work through and continue to work with our residents,\u201d said Lind who leads the largest mission-focused affordable housing provider in the region. \u201cIn 2024 last year, that was over $7 million. That becomes unsustainable for the projects to really bear. Twenty percent of our residents are not paying rent, and at some properties it\u2019s as high as 50%.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-3    \">\n<div class=\"newspack_global_ad scaip-3 fixed-height\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-dc2e0e383b-0\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>The lack of rent income impacts property owners\u2019 ability to provide renters the services required to keep up buildings like security, parking lot lighting and basic repairs. The deficit also impacts property owners\u2019 bottom line and track record when seeking financing for additional development projects in the District.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn the development front, the traditional tax credit housing investors and lenders are staying away from the District,\u201d said Lind. \u201cThey won\u2019t provide equity for us anymore, they won\u2019t provide loans anymore. That\u2019s the risk for us \u2026 and other developers. We have projects out there that we acquired \u2026 that we wanted to redevelop and make affordable in perpetuity that are now on hold and we don\u2019t have the funding to be able to actually develop these communities which actually puts them at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With planning and dedication, renters may be able to use this moment to investigate home ownership, using resources from the DC Department of Housing and Community Development. Substituting affordable housing rental vouchers with programs that cover down payments and provide tax deferments and interest free loans may be equally as, if not more cost-effective, result in a more long-term stability and a feeling of pride in ownership.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cD.C. has the resources and structures to become homeowners,\u201d said Williams. \u201cAt the end of the day, we all know what the economy is like. Not everyone has that nest egg. This generation is not nest egging and they don\u2019t have up front cash. Other than credit, that\u2019s usually the challenge is to have that chunk of change to put down. Coming from South Florida to D.C., I am just so shocked how supportive the District is towards home buying.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Source: Published without changes from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/legislation-focused-on-speedy-evictions-may-be-chance-for-some-renters-to-consider-homeownership\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Washington Informer Newspaper<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside>\n<div id=\"id_1213870\" class=\"newspack-popup-container newspack-popup newspack-inline-popup\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" data-segments=\"\" data-frequency=\"0,0,0,month\"><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by\u00a0Zerline Hughes Spruill Renters in the District\u2019s affordable housing units are making a clear statement by not paying<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6886,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6885","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-regular-column"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6885","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6885"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6885\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6887,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6885\/revisions\/6887"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}