By Catherine Reagor |The Republic
Arizona renters and landlords are both struggling to find out what a new executive order to delay evictions due to the coronavirus means for them.
Gov. Doug Ducey issued a 120-day order on Tuesday delaying the enforcement of evictions for renters impacted by COVID-19 because they are sick, can’t work or lost jobs.
Arizona joined more than 50 others states and cities to place a temporary halt on evictions during the public health and economic crisis.
About 2,500 metro Phoenix renters are facing eviction hearings, according to court records. That’s up by 500 from last week.
‘The right thing to do’
Ducey called the order “the right thing to do to support Arizona families during their time of need and prevent the spread of COVID-19.”
Now, housing advocates and lawyers are working overtime to figure out how the order will work.
“We need to focus on educating tenants concerning this defense to stop the enforcement of the eviction action,” said Pamela Bridge, director of Advocacy and Litigation at Community Legal Services.
