In this quarterly report, the RVA Eviction Lab presents and analyzes a series of data on eviction and housing instability in Virginia during the first quarter of 2021. We compare Q1 2021 data to pre-pandemic data on eviction and housing instability, using the first quarter of 2019 as a benchmark. As with our past quarterly data reports, our analysis first concentrates on the Commonwealth of Virginia as a whole and then covers three regions: Central Virginia, Hampton Roads, and Northern Virginia. Finally, we look at eviction data in the City of Richmond at the ZIP code-level. Quarterly eviction data for every jurisdiction in Virginia are provided in the appendix.
Data highlights of 2021’s first quarter include:
- Eviction filings and judgments across the Commonwealth amounted to about 10% of pre-pandemic totals.
- Eviction filings and judgments across Virginia decreased by nearly 70% and 60%, respectively, from the fourth quarter of 2020 to the first quarter of 2021.
- US Census survey responses of Virginia renters continue to indicate high levels of housing instability and eviction pressures.
- 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. While only fewer than 10% of Richmond’s eviction filings and judgments were located in Richmond’s West End, ZIP codes in the Southside and East End accounted for over 60% of evictions filings and judgments.
From March 2020 through the end of this March 2021, 17,125 eviction judgments were issued across the Commonwealth. At the regional scale, there were 3,648 evictions in Central Virginia, 5,885 evictions in Hampton Roads, and 2,284 in Northern Virginia. And finally, the City of Richmond had a total of 1,492 evictions since the pandemic began. While this represents a decrease statewide from pre-pandemic totals, these numbers illustrate ongoing housing instability statewide. Moreover, these reductions have been sustained through significant policy interventions at the state and federal levels.
Amid persisting concerns about the inability of countless renters across the nation to make rent payments, the CDC again extended the federal eviction moratorium, this time through June 30, 2021. Eviction moratoria are necessary, but insufficient in the long run, in helping renters stay housed and curbing the spread of COVID. In addition, noncompliance with and inconsistent enforcement of such COVID-19 eviction protections remain a challenge, highlighting the need for expanded legal support to protect tenants’ rights. Further, while we examine evictions that move through the courts, tenants continue to face instability through non-renewals of their leases and other informal forms of displacement.
To find all our reports, please check out our research page
Leave a Reply