More renters facing eviction have a right to a lawyer. Finding one can be hard

Despite the passing of right-to-counsel laws for low-income tenants facing eviction in various U.S cities and states, a significant gap in connecting these tenants with legal aid persists.

Laws in context: Both Baltimore city and the state of Maryland passed laws in 2021 guaranteeing right to legal counsel for low-income tenants facing eviction, yet there is no systematic way of matching tenants with lawyers.
* Around 80% of landlords but only 3% of tenants have legal representation in court.
* Four states, 16 cities, and one county have enacted right-to-counsel laws since New York City first instituted such a law in 2017.

An uneven balance: Despite the right-to-counsel laws, there is a serious shortage of lawyers, leading to tenants being evicted when an attorney is not available.
* Landlords routinely win the cases within seconds when tenants, presuming they won’t win, don’t show up in court.
* To mitigate this, measures such as increasing salaries for legal aid and recruitment drives at law schools are being undertaken.

A different perspective: Landlord and property owner associations argue that it would be more beneficial to prevent evictions in the first place, through measures such as emergency rental assistance or housing subsidy programs.

The outcome: Having a lawyer helps tenants avoid eviction and negotiate vital elements such as back rent payment, time allowed for finding another place, and whether the eviction appears on their rental history or credit report.
* In cases of tenants being unwillingly evicted, representation can at least help in retrieving belongings, finding new housing, and reducing the chances of experiencing homelessness.
* A hotline has also been initiated to provide information about eviction procedures, and connect people with other necessary resources such as food and clothing.

View original article on NPR

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