This article was originally published here by the C40 Knowledge Hub. It is part of a new report Agenda for a Green and Just Recovery set out by leading mayors and a complementary set of policy briefs written by C40 for cities beginning their recovery phases which can be found here.
The measures implemented in many countries and cities to contain the spread of Covid-19 have impacted the job security and income of many city residents. Cities’ poorer and less educated workers have been hardest hit, including retail staff, cooks, construction workers and office support staff, in part because they are less able to work from home now their workplaces are closed.
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People are increasingly unable to make rent and mortgage payments and could face eviction or homelessness by following advice to stay at home during the crisis. Those who are already homeless or living in inadequate accommodation are highly exposed to Covid-19, putting both the affected individuals and the wider community at risk. It is likely that the crisis will deepen income and social inequalities.
Cities and governments are responding by calling for, or directly implementing, measures to protect or provide housing arrangements for their residents. Measures that were initially introduced during Covid-19 emergency periods are now being extended in many countries and cities, recognising that the pandemic will continue to impact livelihoods and economies for many months to come.
The two main actions that cities could take to protect those in rental accommodation are to ban evictions and freeze rent for a specified period. There is more scope to protect renters in municipally owned properties than in private housing
This article looks at the actions that city and local governments are taking to protect homeless people, tenants and homeowners. Of course, the local, regional and national contexts in which city governments operate will have implications for the approaches that will work for each city.
Security for citizens in rented accommodation
The two main actions that cities could take to protect those in rental accommodation are to ban evictions and freeze rent for a specified period. There is more scope to protect renters in municipally owned properties than in private housing. The approaches cities are taking are:
Banning evictions for tenants living in municipally owned properties. Where cities have direct control over tenancies, they can assure residents that they will not be evicted if they cannot pay rent due to Covid-19 and containment restrictions. This may also help to encourage other housing structures not controlled by the city to introduce similar measures.
- Residents of Atlanta, living in homes owned or subsidised by Atlanta Housing, who have lost income due to the virus can apply for rent relief of up to 100% of their contracted rent for a two-month period.
- After the Mayor of Vienna announced that people living in municipal housing would be able to stay for the duration of the crisis, even if they were not able to pay rent, similar announcements were made in cooperative and private housing sectors.
- Barcelona has placed a rent moratorium on properties owned by the Barcelona Municipal Housing and Rehabilitation Institute, for both housing and commercial premises. A total of 12,000 residential and commercial tenants will not have to pay rent for a three-month period. When rent collection resumes, tenants will pay slightly more each month until December to make up the shortfall.
Protect commercial tenants to mitigate job losses and support a swifter economic recovery
Many cities are also calling for or implementing protections for tenants of commercial properties, particularly small and medium-sized businesses and non-profit tenants. Read Mitigating the economic impact of Covid-19 for more information.
Banning evictions for all residents, both public and private. This can give security to all residents, including those who are not eligible to apply for unemployment benefits. Bans on evictions should persist beyond the aftermath of the initial Covid-19 emergency to prevent evictions related to the longer-term economic impact of the virus. This could be enforced by creating a limited list of legitimate reasons for eviction that must be proven in a court of law.
- In Baltimore, all evictions have been banned for as long as schools are closed.
- In Seattle, Mayor Jenny Durkan issued a moratorium on residential evictions for non-payment of rent until the civil emergency, declared on 3 March, comes to an end. Seattle’s moratorium blocks landlords from issuing a notice of termination or initiating an eviction for non-payment of rent, in addition to outlawing late fees and other charges due to non-payment of rent.
Freezing rent, so that landlords cannot increase it until after a set date. Tenants may face higher rents once freezes have expired, or may be unable to cover the additional rent owed due to payments missed during the emergency period. Therefore, cities may need to provide additional support to avoid a surge in evictions and increased homelessness.
- In Santa Ana, landlords have been restricted from raising the rents of occupied properties until 31 May.
- Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City has called for a rent freeze for 2.3 million tenants across the city amid the Covid-19 crisis. The City administration will work with the State to suspend the Rent Guidelines Board process for the coming year, which will maintain all regulated rents at this year’s level.
Providing financial support for low-income tenants. Cities can allocate funds for low-income families that have lost income due to Covid-19 and face difficulty paying their rent.
- Nantes Metropole has established a housing solidarity fund of more than EUR 2 million to help people who have lost all or part of their income to pay their rent.
- Bogotá has set up funds to raise money from the general public to pay the rents of low-income families.
- Austin City Council approved the allocation of USD 15 million from the Emergency Reserve Fund to establish a fund to support residents affected by Covid-19, including financial assistance for rent, mortgages and utilities.
- The Mayor of Boston announced a fund of USD 3 million to assist with rent payments of up to USD 4,000 for tenants who are not eligible for the extended unemployment benefits offered by the federal government, or because of the nature of their job.
Communicating with citizens about the help available
Some cities, such as Munich and Bordeaux, have created free, dedicated hotlines so that residents can find out what support is available to them. Cities can also make it clear that residents who are still able to pay their rent or mortgage should continue to do so.
Security for homeowners
Approaches that cities can take to protect homeowners during the pandemic include:
Calling for mortgage payment holidays. This will mean that homeowners whose income is impacted by Covid-19 do not need to make their monthly payments. Policies must include banning the fees that would usually be charged for mortgage holidays. Boston**,** for example, passed a non-binding resolution calling for state and federal governments to place a moratorium on mortgage collections, as well as rent collection, evictions and foreclosures. A week later, Mayor Martin Walsh announced that 12 mortgage lenders in the city had agreed to offer at least three months of deferred mortgage payments for those who had been demonstrably impacted by the pandemic, with no fees charged.
Calling for the suspension of mortgage interest accrual for the duration of the pandemic to provide additional financial support for impacted homeowners.
Putting home repossessions on hold, similar to banning evictions for renters, for the duration of the pandemic. This should include the suspension of processes in progress prior to the crisis to prevent additional homelessness.
Additional funds for supporting low-income families that have lost income due to the Covid-19 pandemic can be allocated to families for mortgage payments, as well as rent.
An opportunity to reclaim city centres and return holiday lets to city residents
High housing costs and large numbers of apartments used for short-term tourist rentals have forced many of Lisbon’s residents and working people out of the city centre and into the suburbs. To help to rebalance the city for the people who live there, make the city more equitable, and reduce air pollution, city sprawl and the need for long commutes, Mayor Fernando Medina is rolling out a new Renda Segura (secure income) programme as part of the city’s Covid-19 recovery.
Without support, homeless people are highly exposed to Covid-19. The same is true for vulnerable people living in inadequate accommodation
The programme encourages the owners of the 25,000 apartments used for short-term holiday lets to rent to locals instead. Apartment owners, whose incomes have been decimated due to the pandemic, will pay no tax on rental income and receive a city-guaranteed return if they commit to renting to locals for five years. Read more about Renda Segura here. Lisbon is a member of the Global Mayors Covid-19 Recovery Task Force, which is working to rebuild cities and economies in a way that improves public health, reduces inequality and addresses the climate crisis.
Providing safe accommodation for the homeless and people in inadequate housing to reduce their exposure and community transmission
Without support, homeless people are highly exposed to Covid-19. The same is true for vulnerable people living in inadequate accommodation. This puts both the affected individuals and the wider community at risk. Singapore, for example, suffered a spike in cases across the community following outbreaks centred in migrant dormitories, where workers live in cramped rooms with inadequate access to hygiene facilities. While the global tourism industry is all but shut down, many cities have turned to empty hotels to re-house homeless and vulnerable people. Ensuring access to food and medical care for rehoused people should also be factored into planning.
Examples include:
- In California, Project Roomkey is housing homeless people in hotel rooms.
- Cities across the United Kingdom are seeking hotels and converted offices to be used as emergency safe spaces for homeless people. Newham Council in London moved almost 500 homeless households out of shared temporary accommodation and into self-contained units to support physical distancing.
- Madrid opened a complex of apartments to host elderly people without Covid-19 symptoms who have lost their caregivers or who do not benefit from the help of a caregiver.
- San Francisco announced a USD 5 million emergency fund and new Public Health Order to support vulnerable people living in shelters, single-room-occupancy hotels and permanent supportive housing. The fund will cover increased cleaning, extended opening hours for shelters, and food delivery.
Protecting access to utility services
As well as housing, some city governments are helping to protect people who are unable to pay utility bills (such as water, electricity and gas) due to the pandemic. This will be more feasible for cities that operate municipally run utilities.
Suspending disconnections from utilities:
- In Austin, residents unable to pay due to financial hardship resulting from the virus can be put on a deferred payment plan for their utilities.
- Chicago is suspending water shut-offs across the city, so that access to water for hand-washing and proper hygiene is maintained for all as the city responds to Covid-19.
Discounting utility bills:
- In New York City, people on low incomes will receive discounts on their utility bills between June and October 2020 to protect them from heat waves, which is the city’s most deadly weather event, and to safeguard them from economic insecurity during the pandemic.
(Picture credit: Unsplash)
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