Eviction

Tenant right to counsel bill defeated in committee

Charlie MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

A bill to guarantee tenants the right to legal counsel in eviction proceedings failed in the House Appropriations Committee Thursday. Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 101, which will not advance to the House floor, would have: Created a right to legal representation for renters facing eviction whose household income is lower than 200% of federal poverty guidelines; Placed coordination …

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Renter, landlord advocates disagree over solutions to eviction crisis

Charlie MegginsonBusiness, Government, Headlines

Lawmakers and advocates say a new Delaware Supreme Court rule that allows tenants to be represented by non-lawyer advocates in eviction proceedings will create parity with landlords and mitigate some of the most harmful effects of housing insecurity. Opponents, including the Delaware Apartment Association, the non-profit group that represents the interests of multi-family rental unit landlords, say efforts and money …

New court rule allows non-lawyers to represent tenants in eviction proceedings

Charlie MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

The Delaware Supreme Court has adopted a new rule that will allow residential tenants to be represented by non-lawyer, qualified tenant advocates in eviction proceedings.  Supreme Court Rule 57 has long permitted the representation of landlords and landlord entities by non-lawyer agents in eviction proceedings but it does not permit the same for tenants.  With the adoption of Rule 57.1, …

Housing Authority: No federal money had to be returned by Oct. 4

Charlie MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

  As of August, the state Housing Authority had only allocated10.3% of cash it was given to help Delaware renters. Photy by Photomix/Pexels   It’s unclear how much the Delaware State Housing Authority has spent of the nearly $300 million it has received for rental assistance. While some officials had feared that updated guidance from the U.S. Treasury would require …

Case backlog, hope for rent assistance keep Delaware eviction filings low

Charlie MegginsonBusiness, Headlines

Landlords may be waiting to see how rental assistance programs can help before filing for eviction.   Two weeks after the federal eviction moratorium ended on Aug. 26, Delaware has not yet seen a significant spike in eviction filings.  Some experts say that could be yet to come.  A backlog of eviction cases and the availability of hundreds of millions …