Biden eviction ban leaving landlords underwater: There's 'no answers for us'
Long Island homeowner Suzanne Antolini tells 'America's Newsroom' that she is owed $50,000 from an employed tenant that has refused to pay rent since the start of the pandemic.
A New York landlord said Wednesday the Biden administration's eviction moratorium has left her $50,000 in the hole as her tenant, who has been employed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, refuses to make rent payments.
Long Island homeowner Suzanne Antolini told "America's Newsroom" she's "exhausted all avenues" trying to get help since her tenant stopped paying rent in March of 2020.
"He continues to stay in our home not paying rent and doesn't seem to have any plans to leave due to the moratorium that is currently in place," Antolini told Dana Perino. "He has been gainfully employed this entire time and is just choosing not to make his payments."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's temporary ban halts evictions until Oct. 3, replacing a previous moratorium that was set to expire July 31.
Antolini said local and state legislators have no answers for her situation, and she is not allowed to go to court.
"There are no programs to help the landlords," she said. "We continue to come up short while he continues to live in our home. And now recently we found out that he's actually moved two additional people into our home."
Antolini has not been able to participate in the federal government's Emergency Rental Assistance Program because the application must be initiated by her tenant.
"Because he's gainfully employed, if he initiates it, he'll basically be admitting to fraud," she said. "So we are stuck. No matter where we go, we're stuck."
Another New York landlord told FOX Business' "Varney & Co." Tuesday he'll be bankrupt with the continued extensions of the moratorium.
"We are completely helpless," Jeff Touti said.
The National Apartment Association filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims last month to recover damages on behalf of rental housing providers that have "suffered severe economic losses under the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s overreaching federal eviction moratorium," according to a news release.
FOX Business' Talia Kaplan contributed to this report.
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