City of Hayward COVID-19 eviction moratorium extended to Sept. 30

HAYWARD, Calif., July 1, 2020—The Hayward City Council extended on Tuesday an emergency moratorium on residential and commercial evictions for failure to pay rent or make mortgage payments due to COVID-19 hardship.

The moratorium, which was extended to Sept. 30, 2020, also temporarily bans the eviction of residential tenants for reasons other than nonpayment of rent that otherwise would be allowable under no-fault eviction provisions of the City’s rent-stabilization ordinance.

Initially adopted on March 24 and expanded on April 7 to cover commercial tenants and homeowners with foreclosed mortgage loans, the moratorium is intended to allow all Hayward residents to continue to safely shelter-in-place during the health emergency and help sustain local businesses during the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

In tandem with the moratorium, the City has been providing rent relief assistance grants to landlords on behalf of tenants who have been unable to pay rent due economic hardship attributable to COVID-19 and associated shelter-in-place orders.

Nothing in the eviction moratorium ordinance relieves residential and commercial tenants or homeowners of their liability for unpaid rent or mortgage payments.

Instead, under the extension approved by the Council on Tuesday, the ordinance provides a 180-day repayment period for tenants to secure stable employment and income, and to enter into repayment agreements with their landlords.

While it is anticipated that tenants may need more than 180 days to pay past due rent, tenants can use City mediation services, available through the City Housing Division, to negotiate binding repayment agreements for longer time periods based on their ability pay.