Household Rental Debt During COVID-19: Update for August 2021

With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s national eviction moratorium set to expire on July 31, 2021, new research estimates that nearly 2 million U.S. renter households will owe over $15 billion in back rent and utilities by August 2021 because of job loss or involuntary part-time work during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report updates forecasts from our March 2021 report with employment data through June and includes breakouts for each state.

These are estimates of rental debt prior to the distribution of emergency rental assistance. The estimates can help shed light on the extent to which rental assistance distributed thus far has addressed the needs of the most financially distressed households.

Read the report.