On August 3, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Temporary Halt in Residential Evictions in Communities with Substantial or High Levels of Community Transmission of COVID-19 to Prevent the Further Spread of COVID-19 (the Order). The Order imposed a temporary national moratorium on most evictions for nonpayment of rent in counties with high rates of community transmission to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. The Order applied to all standard rental housing, including mobile homes or land in a mobile home park. However, it did not cover individuals renting hotels, motels, or other guest homes rented temporarily. The Order ended on August 26, 2021 and is no longer in effect.
More details about the Order can be found on the CDC website.
Rental Assistance
Rental Assistance Options – You may be eligible for rental payment assistance. If you need help finding resources to pay unpaid rent, call 2-1-1 or visit our listing of rental assistance resources on 211Arizona.org to see if your local jurisdiction or service organizations have established rental assistance programs. You can also find a list of COVID-19 specific rental assistance and eviction prevention programs on the Arizona Housing Coalition website.
Find Resources
Mortgage Assistance
CARES ACT Mortgage Forbearance – Forbearance is when your mortgage servicer (that’s the company that sends your mortgage statement and manages your loan) or lender allows you to pause or reduce your payments for a limited period of time. The CARES Act offers protections for federally-backed and GSE-backed (Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac) mortgages.
- If you have a federally-backed loan, the lender or loan servicer cannot foreclose until after July 31, 2021.
- Fannie Mae- and Freddie Mac-backed loans cannot be foreclosed until after September 30, 2021.
- To check if your loan is federally-backed, please visit one of these sites:
- If you are experiencing financial hardship due to COVID-19, you have the right to request and obtain a forbearance. Homeowners who have not previously been in COVID-19 forbearance can request a pause or reduction in mortgage payments any time between July 1, 2021 and September 30, 2021 for up to 6 months.
- Homeowners who previously received a forbearance from their mortgage service provider between July 1, 2020 and September 30, 2020 can request an additional three-month forbearance extension.
- Homeowners who are suffering financial hardship, directly or indirectly related to COVID-19, should contact their servicer to request a forbearance.
Utility Assistance
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, various cities and companies suspended utility shut-offs in an effort to help struggling residents. Now, as shut-offs have resumed, residents are being encouraged to seek financial assistance or work with their utility company to develop a payment plan if they are unable to pay their bills.
Contact your utility company as soon as possible if you anticipate being unable to pay your bill for any reason. Your utility company will walk you through available assistance options such as setting up a payment plan, applying to one of their programs, or applying for aid through a local agency.
If your utility company is unable to provide an option that works for you, you can contact a nonprofit agency or city program that offers utility assistance. Visit 211Arizona.org for a list of utility assistance programs, or call 2-1-1 to get connected with your local utility assistance program.
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Water services are controlled by the city in which you live. Some cities, districts, and municipalities have issued their own moratoriums that temporarily suspend water disconnections for nonpayment, however, customers may continue to accrue charges for water, reclaimed water, sewer, and solid waste services. If you need assistance paying your water bill, contact your city, district, or municipality’s water services department as soon as possible to determine if there is a local moratorium in place, or to discuss flexible payment options. Customers can also call 2-1-1 for local agencies that may be able to offer assistance.
Information and Referral Links for Utilities and Emergency Shelter
Please make sure to call all programs ahead of time, even when they list their locations to ensure they are open. You can sort results by city or ZIP Code.
Utilities Emergency Homeless Shelter
* Domestic Violence Shelter * Domestic Violence Hotlines
* This resource should be used if you are currently in a safe place. If you are in danger, please call 9-1-1.
Information for Pet Owners
Pet owners impacted by the COVID-19 housing crisis can visit PetHousingHelpAZ.org for resources to help care for your pet, including shelters and temporary housing, low-cost veterinary services, and pet food assistance.
In addition to these resources, PetHousingHelpAZ.org can connect pet parents in need of help directly with other valley residents to rehome or temporarily foster their pet.
Additional Resources
The Unpaid Rent Accommodation Request Generator allows you to ask for more time to pay rent, delay an eviction, or even forgive past rent if you or someone in the house has lost a job because of COVID-19, lost income because of COVID-19, or if losing a job or income is making someone in the household’s mental health worse. This tool lets you use the protections of federal civil rights laws to ask for more time. Click here to access the request generator.
