Press Releases

Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) issued the following statement after he introduced the Respect State Housing Laws Act:

“President Biden recently stated that the pandemic is ‘over’ which means pandemic policies should be over as well. One of the policies that should end is the 30-day notice landlords must give tenants before they can begin eviction proceedings. This requirement was never meant to be permanent, and it conflicts with state laws.

“Many hardworking Americans are landlords, and they rely on the income they receive from their tenants to provide for their families. But if a tenant is not paying rent, a landlord may have to turn to eviction. This bill would simply remove the federal government from the equation, and return eviction notice policies back to the states, where they should be - and were for decades before the pandemic.”

The Respect State Housing Laws Act is supported by the National Apartment Association (NAA) and National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM):

"Housing providers have juggled immense financial and operational challenges for nearly three years, all while simultaneously navigating unnecessary confusion created by federal intrusion on complex state and local law," said Bob Pinnegar, NAA President and CEO. "With 91 cents of each rent dollar paying the bills that keep rental housing operational, prolonged disturbances to standard operating procedures have major implications. We thank Rep. Loudermilk for recognizing this adverse impact and introducing the ‘Respect State Housing Laws Act’ to help restore balance and normalcy to rental housing operations."

“The past three years have been challenging for many housing providers. This legislation will help ensure that providers can continue to provide stable, affordable housing options for American families,” said Liz Cleyman, NARPM President. “We thank Representative Loudermilk for his leadership on this issue and for his introduction of the ‘Respect State Housing Laws Act’.”

Background

Included in the CARES Act is a provision that requires landlords to provide tenants with 30 days’ notice before a landlord can begin an eviction proceeding. This eviction notice requirement was supposed to be a one-time grace period when the eviction moratorium ended; but a drafting error caused the 30-day notice requirement to remain in law permanently. This overrides state eviction notice laws, which, on average, are eight days. The Respect State Housing Laws Act would return housing policy back to the states, where it belongs.

Bill text can be found, HERE.