RVA EVICTION LAB

2021 2nd Quarter Report: Filings, Judgements and Rental Assistance in the Commonwealth

INTRODUCTION 

In this quarterly report, the RVA Eviction Lab presents and analyzes a series of data on eviction and housing instability in Virginia during the second quarter of 2021. As in our previous reports, we compare 2021 quarterly eviction data to pre-pandemic levels, using the second quarter of 2019 as a benchmark. In light of the impending expiration of the CDC federal eviction moratorium on July 31st, we also include the number of unlawful detainers filed in Virginia in the first and second quarters of 2021 that have a pending hearing date of July 15th or later. As usual, this report is broken down into three scales of analysis: the state, the region (Central Virginia, Hampton Roads, and Northern Virginia), and the City of Richmond. Second quarter eviction data for every jurisdiction in Virginia are provided in the appendix.

This report concludes with a new section in which we analyze DHCD’s Rent Relief Program data at the scale of the state, the region, and Richmond. We examine the geographic distribution and amount of the assistance at the jurisdictional and household levels, and we compare these data to eviction filings and judgments data.

Finally, it is important to note that we have observed a lag in the courts’ reporting of eviction filings and judgments across the state, most significantly in the final month of the quarter, that results in an undercount of quarterly eviction numbers in our reports. Thus, based on the revisions of the first quarter’s eviction data, we expect the second quarter numbers, specifically June’s (which currently are well below the April and May numbers), provided in this report to increase, and likely exceed the previous quarter’s numbers.

Highlights of 2021’s second quarter include: 

● Statewide eviction totals in April and May show eviction filings rising across the Commonwealth. While June totals show a decrease (for an overall decrease in both filings and judgements from first quarter to second), typical delays in data reporting, along with the number of pending cases, suggest cases are on the rise. (Page 5)

● US Census survey responses of Virginia renters indicate growing levels of housing instability and eviction pressures across the state, with 62% of households who are not caught up on rent fearing eviction in the next two months.

● In the first and second quarters, 1,403 eviction cases were filed with pending hearing dates of July 15th or later. Such eviction cases increased by over 204%—709 cases—from the first to the second quarter.

● In the City of Richmond, eviction filings and judgments remain spatially concentrated in ZIP codes in East End and Southside neighborhoods. The North Side ZIP code of 23227 had a default judgment rate of over 50%. (Page 16)

● The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) disbursed $158,884,848 in rent relief funds to 22,740 households across the Commonwealth in the second quarter, averaging just under $7,000 per household served. Over 5,000 households in Central Virginia received $33,518,935 (average amount of $6,337). About 7,100 Hampton Roads households received $48,240,906 ($7,107 average amount). In Northern Virginia, over 4,500 households received just over $40 million ($8,676 average). Finally, $12.5 million went to 2,037 households in Richmond (average of $6,145 per household). (Page 25)

From March 2020 through the end of this past quarter, 19,660 eviction judgments were issued across the Commonwealth. At the regional scale, there were 4,072 evictions in Central Virginia, 6,626 evictions in Hampton Roads, and 2,764 in Northern Virginia. And finally, the City of Richmond had a total of 1,566 evictions since the pandemic began.

At the end of the second quarter, the CDC federal eviction moratorium survived a legal challenge before the Supreme Court and was once again extended. This time, however, the CDC claimed that the recent extension is “intended to be the final extension of the moratorium.” While the Biden administration also “announced a whole-of-government approach” and hosted a June 30th virtual summit with the goal of helping municipalities “identify and adopt evidence-based strategies” for eviction prevention, the potential for post-moratorium surge in evictions remains an urgent concern.