Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Nevada bill would delay eviction proceedings for some tenants

CARSON CITY — Lawmakers unveiled a late-session bill on Thursday designed to send help to renters facing eviction as the end of the state moratorium rapidly approaches.

Assembly Bill 486, introduced with 12 days left in the legislative session, would require courts to pause eviction proceedings if the tenant is pursuing rental assistance programs or the landlord has refused to accept monies from rental assistance programs.

Gov. Steve Sisolak at the end of March extended the state’s eviction moratorium for the last time, to May 31. A federal eviction moratorium will expire at the end of June, coinciding with the bill’s provisions taking effect. 

“What we saw over the last several months are tenants, and landlords, who had a tedious process of trying to figure whether or not they could access that money, and so we are committed to making sure that we help folks stay in their homes a little bit longer and help provide some relief for landlords as well,” Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson, D-Las Vegas, said. 

It would also earmark an expected $5 million in federal monies toward rental assistance. The congressional American Rescue Plan will send about $165 million to Nevada for emergency rental assistance. 

The bill also creates a form administered by the state-affiliated nonprofit Home Means Nevada that would allow eligible landlords to apply for rental assistance for a tenant who has defaulted on rent. 

This measure is meant to help landlords with a smaller property pool, as it is restricted to landlords who have an annual gross income from all Nevada rentals of less than $4 million and owns a single-family residence.

The bill’s introduction comes as leadership in Clark County is ramping up efforts to prevent a wave of evictions.

Earlier Thursday, Clark County and state leadership announced the Southern Nevada Eviction Prevention Program,  a partnership between the county, Nevada Supreme Court Chief Justice James Hardesty, the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada and others.

That program could help qualified households by paying up to 12 months of back rent and providing legal advice and mediation for landlords and tenants. 

Much of that financial help would come from the county’s CARES Housing Assistance Program, which provides assistance to qualified households. According to the county, over 400 households have received a total of $3 million through the program this year. 

Sisolak, in a statement, signaled his support for the legislation, which he called “critical.”

“Throughout the pandemic, the state has prioritized helping Nevadans stay in their homes by enacting an eviction moratorium, setting up rental assistance programs and working with the state Supreme Court on an evictions mediation program,” Sisolak said in a statement. “In late March, I extended the eviction moratorium for a final time and promised to work with the Legislature toward a solution that will help both landlords and tenants as we approach the end of the moratorium.”