4th Quarter (Oct-Dec) 2020 Report on Evictions in the Commonwealth

In this data update, we offer a picture of eviction and housing instability in Virginia during the final quarter of 2020. To contextualize the recent numbers, we provide data from 4th quarter of 2020 and compare it with data from the 4th quarter in 2019. Similarly, we compare 2020 annual data with that of 2019. Finally, we look at the data on eviction and housing instability over time to track the pandemic’s persistent impact on households across the Commonwealth. The impact of eviction moratoria and rental assistance programs enacted at the state and federal levels in response to the COVID-19 crisis remains evident in the fourth quarter’s lower numbers for both eviction filings and judgments compared to the 2019 quarter. Although the recently-extended Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) eviction moratorium continues to protect many individuals from eviction, without deeper and more targeted support for renters, it simply delays an inevitable surge of evictions upon its expiration. Access the full report via the link below.

Key Findings in the Report

• Eviction filings, eviction judgments, and default judgments across the Commonwealth remain significantly below pre-pandemic levels.
• Eviction filings, eviction judgments, and default judgments all increased—to varying extents—from the third to the fourth quarter of 2020.
• US Census Pulse Survey responses of Virginia renters indicate consistently high levels of housing instability and eviction pressures throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
• In the City of Richmond, eviction filings and judgments remain spatially concentrated in ZIP codes in the East End, Southside, and North Side neighborhoods—those hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

4th Quarter (Oct-Dec) 2020 Report on Evictions in the Commonwealth