Jan. 6—Renters across the country facing financial hardship because of the pandemic now have eviction protections through the end of January.

The federal government’s eviction moratorium, originally set to expire Dec. 31, has been extended to the end of the month as part of the latest congressional spending bill.

The moratorium was first put in place on Sept. 4 and protects renters if they meet several criteria, including:

—They used their “best efforts” to obtain government assistance for rent or housing costs.

—They don’t expect to earn more than $99,000 in annual income. If that qualification doesn’t work, a tenant is also eligible if they received a federal stimulus check in 2020 or if they didn’t have to report any income for 2019 taxes.

—They are unable to pay full rent due to substantial loss of household income throughout the pandemic.

—They are trying to make timely partial rent payments.

—They would likely become homeless or have to live in a shared-living setting if they were evicted.

Landlords can begin collecting all unpaid back rent in February, so renters would still be responsible to pay after the moratorium ends.

And the moratorium doesn’t automatically apply. Renters must find out about the protections, fill out their own forms stating they meet the criteria and present that information to their landlord.

The CDC website has a copy of a tenant declaration form which can be signed by a tenant stating that they qualify for the moratorium. A copy can be found here by scrolling to the bottom of the document.

Greg Beben, a staff attorney with Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, previously told The Oklahoman this means the protections for tenants are “not automatically there.”

“If the tenant does nothing, the landlord is not under a strict obligation to abide by the moratorium,” Beben said.

In Oklahoma County, since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 7,000 evictions have been filed, according to Open Justice Oklahoma, which has been tracking evictions. Only 2,000 evictions have been granted.

The goal of the moratorium is to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 by limiting the number of individuals who lose housing and have to move in with friends or family, live in a congregate shelter or live on the streets.

The relief bill also set aside another $25 billion for rental assistance, though it’s unclear how much of that funding is coming to Oklahoma and how it will be distributed.

The Community CARES Partners group has been in charge of distributing prior housing assistance dollars in the metro area.

Housing advocates and service providers in the metro area have said that while eviction moratoriums have been helpful to buy time for individuals to stay housed while finding jobs or receiving assistance, many worry high numbers of evictions are only delayed.

And for Oklahoma landlords, many who are small operations, it means more months without consistent income.

Anyone with questions about available resources for housing assistance can call 2-1-1 for more information.