Category Archive : Property Management

LAS VEGAS, NV – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia is expected to issue a ruling this week as to whether or not the recent eviction moratorium set in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will be allowed to continue.

The new, limited moratorium was imposed by the CDC on August 3, 2021, covering areas with substantial and high transmission of COVID-19 – currently covering about 90 percent of the U.S. population – in response after a previous moratorium, originally set in place on September 4, 2020, had expired on July 31, 2021.

The Court of Appeals set an expedited schedule in response to a lower court’s ruling on Friday, when U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich declared the CDC’s eviction moratorium to be illegal, but nonetheless said that she was forced to allow it to stand for the time being, stating that her “hands are tied” by a previous decision handed down by an appellate court earlier in the year.

The Justice Department has been given by the Court of Appeals until 9 a.m. Tuesday to respond; the plaintiffs, made up of Alabama and Georgia realtors, have until Wednesday morning. Both parties have requested that the court issue its ruling on the matter by Thursday, with the realtors stating that “This Court should do what the district court thought it could not.”

If the Court of Appeals does not end the CDC’s eviction moratorium, the plaintiffs are expected to take the matter to the Supreme Court, who had previously ruled against the previous moratorium being ended before its July expiration date. However, Justice Brett Kavanaugh – who had voted not to end the eviction ban early – also noted that he would also reject any additional extensions without Congressional legislative action, which failed to take place.

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – Since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued their initial eviction moratorium in September of 2020, landlords have been unfortunately caught in a tug-of-war between the federal government and their tenants that reside in their rental properties, all due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a national malady that seems to refuse to go away.

Many landlords are understanding of the financial issues that their tenants may have encountered as a result of the pandemic, but at this point the CDC’s eviction moratorium has been ongoing in one form or another for nearly a year. The latest ban on evicting tenants for failure to pay rent for reasons related to COVID-19 is slated to expire on October 3, but who’s to say it won’t be extended yet again?

In the meantime, a recent article has laid bare what landlords are going through in Las Vegas – many of them small mom-and-pop operations who rely on rent money for their livelihoods or retirement – and the feelings that they are expressing can be summed up in one word- “enough.”

In the article – a commentary by Susy Vasquez, executive director of the Nevada State Apartment Association – it is pointed out that the burden of the economic issues being faced by so many in this country today are unfairly – and solely – being placed on the backs of landlords.

“No other industry has been asked to give away its goods and services for free during this global pandemic,” she said. “No other industry has had a cap placed on its ability to charge a fair market price for its products or services. And no other industry facing this situation provides one of the basic human necessities: housing.”

“Rental housing providers in Nevada and nationwide have been forced by our federal government to house everyone for free, if needed, only to learn months later that not all renters would qualify for government-provided rent assistance,” she continued.

Vasquez points out that landlords had been previously assured that eviction bans would not be extended again… only to discover that was not true, as evidenced by the CDC’s new moratorium, issued on August 3. The author also notes that it is highly likely that the CDC’s current eviction ban is illegal and is already being challenged in the courts, but the trust between landlords and the federal government is already tarnished.

Vasquez states that the CDC eviction ban was more about buying time to distribute federal rental assistance funds than anything else – a process that has been slow to roll out at the state level – and points out that the longer this process goes on, the worse it will be for all parties involved.

“The CDC’s eviction order leaves renters facing insurmountable debt and jeopardizes the ability of rental housing providers to provide safe, sustainable and affordable housing,” she said. “The distribution of critical rental assistance has been painfully slow. Renters and rental housing providers desperately need these funds to catch up on their bills.”

If landlords are forced to shoulder this burden much longer, Vasquez says, many will soon be in the same situation that many of their tenants face… or worse.

“The bottom line is that eviction is always our last resort. The housing industry is in the business of housing people and trying to find another tenant means additional lost rent and more hassle for housing providers,” she said. “Enough is enough. Rent assistance needs to be made a top priority and be distributed to those in need at a much faster pace, making landlords and tenants whole.”

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – After several controversial extensions since it was originally instituted in the fall by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to prevent homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal eviction moratorium finally came to an end on July 31, and now thousands of households in Nevada are facing potential eviction for nonpayment of rent.

In order to help in the only way he currently has available to him, Governor Steve Sisolak is now urging Nevada residents who are behind on their rent and anticipate being evicted in the very near future to do their best to seek out rental assistance programs that are available to them.

“I want to be clear, if you are a renter you must apply for this assistance,” Sisolak said. “Filling out and submitting an application is the best thing you can do right now if you fear you may be evicted for nonpayment of rent.”

Sisolak, during a virtual news conference held this weekend, continuously urged residents to apply for rental assistance, since the recently-passed Assembly Bill 486 temporarily halts the eviction process for renters until the aid applicant is notified of the outcome. The bill also allows landlords to apply for aid on behalf of tenants who are behind on rent but for whatever reason have not applied for aid themselves.

“We have plenty of rental assistance money available through funds from the federal government,” Sisolak said. “There are dedicated people through all levels of government working to process those payments as quickly as possible.”

Applying for rental assistance from the CARES Housing Assistance Program – both by tenants and landlords – can be done by clicking here. Eligible applicants must be able to show how they have been financially impacted by the pandemic and meet income requirements.

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – The eviction moratorium instituted and extended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is finally slated to come to an end on August 1, and while it will likely result in thousands of eviction cases for Nevada residents – as well as residents nationwide – what exactly will it mean for the landlords who have been chomping at the bit for over a year to finally get their properties back in their possession?

For landlords who are finally hoping for things to go back to pre-pandemic “normal,” they may find that they have a bit longer to wait due to actions by Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak and the State Legislature.

According to the Nevada State Apartment Association, courts have already processed large amounts of eviction paperwork filed in anticipation of the end of the CDC eviction ban, but landlords should expect the process of getting their soon-to-be former tenants out of their rentals to take some time and potentially, serious effort.

Simply put, every eviction will require constables to proceed with locking out the former tenants, and the massive tidal wave of evictions that are anticipated to come in August will stretch both the resources of said constables – as well as their ability to communicate with landlords over what units need attention – very thin.

With that being the case, the actual process of evicting everyone that requires it will already take an extended period of time over and above the norm; however a new law signed by Governor Sisolak could make that process take even longer to carry out.

The law – Assembly Bill 486 – protects tenants from eviction who have submitted an application for federal rental assistance until their application has been approved or denied by Clark County’s CARES Housing Assistance Program, a process which could take months.

In addition, renters are under no obligation to inform landlords that they have applied for rental assistance – or the status of their application – unless they are in the process of being evicted.

And finally, Nevada Assemblyman Howard Watts’ new law – Assembly Bill 141 – seals all eviction records due to non-payment of rent caused by pandemic-related financial hardship, making it more difficult for landlords to properly vet prospective new tenants.

While landlords may finally be seeing a light at the end of the tunnel in terms of the pandemic, they unfortunately may still have a ways yet to go before things get back to normal.

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – According to the Eviction Lab at Princeton University, Clark County, Nevada is potentially facing more evictions than any other area in the United States when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) eviction moratorium ends July 31, reports say.

The Eviction Lab at Princeton University, according to their website, “creates data, interactive tools, and research to help neighbors and policymakers understand the eviction crisis.” They analyzed data of the average number of eviction filings in Clark County between the years of 2016 and 2019 and compared them to ones filed between January 2020 and May 2021. This was done in order to see how the COVID-19 pandemic had impacted the impending slew of evictions that are expected to hit once the CDC’s moratorium expires at the end of the month.

The findings were eye-opening, and indicated that between March 15, 2020, and May 27, 2021, landlords and property managers in Clark County had filed a whopping 22,400 eviction cases, which the Eviction Lab noted was the most out of any comparably-sized region they have examined in the country.

One place in the country that comes closer than others to Clark County’s numbers during the same period of time is Dallas County, Texas, which saw 18,600 eviction filings; meanwhile in Clark County, 4,559 evictions were filed in November alone, which the Eviction Lab said was twice the average number for Southern Nevada.

The emotional and financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused immeasurable hardship on renters who have been unable to make their monthly payments. However, it could be argued that an even greater one has been shouldered by the landlords and property owners who have been forced by repeated local and federal mandates to essentially provide free room and board for their tenants, even for those who may simply be taking advantage of the system.

One thing is for sure; when the CDC eviction moratorium ends July 31, there will be a massive eviction crisis across the United States.

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – According to reports, a recently passed eviction bill aims to address the many issues being faced by landlords throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, particularly when it comes to offering potential financial relief when it comes to tenants who may have access to federal rental assistance funds but for whatever reason have not applied for them.

Assembly Bill 486 will allow landlords suffering hardship due to non-payment of rent during the pandemic to apply for rental assistance on behalf of their tenant; many Nevada property owners have noted that renters not bothering to apply for rental assistance – be it out of ignorance, apathy, or outright malice – have been an ongoing thorn in their side for the past year.

However, Bill 486 also introduces some additional protections for tenants as well, including pausing eviction proceedings once they have applied for rental assistance until their application has been processed.

The bill will not be enforced until the end of the federal eviction moratorium – due to expire on July 31 – but despite finally giving landlords access to possible financial relief, many have nonetheless criticized the bill as actually doing more harm than good by drawing out the eviction process even longer due to the grace period it affords renters applying for assistance that they may or may not be approved for.

The typical eviction process in Nevada would see tenants behind on their rent receiving a notice from their landlord giving them seven days to quit or pay; the tenant would then have to file a response with the court, followed by a landlord filing an eviction. The two parties would then meet before a judge, who would present a final ruling on the matter.

However, legal experts have noted that AB486 alters that process by requiring all eviction hearings to be put on hold for a maximum of 30 days, after which it would go into mediation. The bill also protects tenants who have submitted an application for assistance from eviction until their application has been approved or denied by Clark County’s CARES Housing Assistance Program, a process which could take months.

As for the landlord, if they do receive rental assistance on behalf of a tenant, the eviction will be automatically dismissed and the landlord will not be able to file another case against the tenant for a minimum of 90 days.

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – In the wake of the fourth – and allegedly final – extension of the federal eviction moratorium by the Biden Administration in an attempt to assist millions of tenants who have fallen behind on their rent gain access to last-minute monetary assistance, landlords have announced their displeasure, with the Nevada State Apartment Association (NSAA) issuing a statement decrying the move.

The eviction ban, issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has been extended from June 30 to July 31 in order to buy more time to distribute federal rental assistance funding that so far has been trickling out to those who need it. Currently, the Nevada Housing Division is offering federal rental assistance funds to people in need via the CARES Housing Assistance Program.

According to reports, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, 6.4 million households have said that they are unable to pay their rent; in Nevada, the number of families facing eviction in the face of financial insolvency number at 81,000.

However, landlords and property owners have been hit just as hard by the pandemic, as both federal and local eviction moratoriums have essentially mandated they provide free room and board to tenants who claim to have been financially impacted by the pandemic. In the process, many landlords have encountered severe financial problems themselves.

The Nevada State Apartment Association has voiced the collective displeasure of landlords throughout the state who have been forced to shoulder the burden of their tenants’ finical woes, criticizing the Biden Administration for drawing out the difficult process even further, especially in light of the recovery of Nevada’s economy as of late.

“We are extremely disappointed that the federal moratorium yet again has been extended,” the NSAA said. “It is essential that the eviction moratorium sunsets to mitigate any additional damage to both renters and their housing providers and is appropriate given the trajectory of both the COVID-19 health crisis and Nevada’s economic recovery. The expiration will also allow housing providers to discuss and execute flexible payment plans, making payment plans, not eviction plans.”

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – With only days remaining before it was slated to come to an end, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), under the direction of the Biden Administration, announced Thursday that they would be extending the national eviction memorandum for one more month – from June 30 to July 31 – to assist millions of tenants facing eviction due to nonpayment of rent during the COVID-19 pandemic, stating that “this is intended to be the final extension of the moratorium.”

The CDC first issued the eviction ban in September 2020 under former President Donald Trump, and it was originally supposed to last until the end of 2020. However, it has been extended three times; once in December 2020 by Congress, and twice more – in January and March 2021 – by the Biden Administration.

The remaining month, according to the Biden Administration, will be used to massively step up the distribution of nearly $47 billion in available emergency rental assistance funding; a process that, up until now, has been going far too slowly, reports say.

Currently, 6.4 million U.S. residents report being behind on their rent, and 3.2 million are facing eviction, many due to financial hardships incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau.

However, the move to extend the moratorium at the last-minute was decried by landlords and property managers across the nation. Landlords – many being small mom-and-pop operations with limited means –  have been monetarily devastated for the last year by federal mandates that have compelled them to provide free room and board for their tenants, some of whom are financially viable but are actually taking advantage of the eviction ban and simply refusing to pay rent.

Some landlords have challenged the authority of the CDC eviction moratorium in court. Currently, there are at least six major lawsuits that are ongoing, with three judges ruling in favor of the eviction ban and three ruling against it; all six cases are currently in the appeals process.

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – According to reports, when the federal eviction moratorium imposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expires at the end of this month, at least 100,000 Nevada residents – and with some estimates placing that number as high as 140,000 – are facing being legally removed from their dwellings due to non-payment of rent.

Nevada’s eviction moratorium ended on May 31, at which time landlords and property managers throughout the state began filing paperwork for evictions that will begin to progress through the court system en masse when the CDC moratorium ceases as of July 1.

Clark County has confirmed that they have distributed approximately $110 million in rental assistance, and has noted that more money would have been sent out to renters except for the fact that many applications that the county received were submitted with errors that require correction before funds can be released.

Kimberly Ireland, a Las Vegas renter who has only recently returned to work at a resort on the Las Vegas Strip, significantly behind on her rent to a small, mom-and-pop landlord who she says has been “gracious and kind” throughout the COVID-19 pandemic when record-breaking unemployment was at its worst.

However, the landlord has reached the point where they want the property back so they can rent it to a party capable or paying rent, which Ireland said she understands at this point.

“It’s heartbreaking,” she said. “We’re forced into this. It’s not by choice.”

Assemblywoman Brittney Miller (D-Las Vegas) recently stated that she supported a bill that was recently signed into law that helps smaller landlords who might be left out of federal relief programs and pauses pending eviction proceedings once a person applies for rental assistance. However, if a renter receives an eviction notice and does nothing, the eviction will automatically go through by default.

“Maybe the United States didn’t hit depression numbers when it came to unemployment, but Nevada did,” Miller said.

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – Courts in Las Vegas are steeling themselves for a massive influx of eviction cases as the eviction moratorium set by Governor Steve Sisolak finally came to an end as of May 31, with thousands of local residents who may have lost their income due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown facing expulsion from their homes after months of not making good on their rent, reports say.

A large number of Nevada residents have applied for rental assistance via CHAP, the county’s housing assistance program, but many have either been denied and are appealing or are still awaiting a decision on their eligibility. But regardless, no one can anticipate how large the upcoming number of evictions will be in the coming days now that the clock on the state eviction ban has run out.

Las Vegas Chief Judge Melissa Saragosa noted that it’s impossible to anticipate how many eviction cases will be filed in the upcoming weeks after over a year of landlords being forced to essentially provide free room and board for people while running their own bank accounts dry.

“It’s really hard to say,” he said. “I mean, we’re doing the best to be prepared and have the capacity to hear cases, but without knowing exactly how many cases are coming in, that’s very difficult to say.”

Prior to COVID-19, the caseload for evictions at the Las Vegas Justice Court was approximately 30,000 cases a year; however, with the vast number of anticipated cases that are expected to be filed as of June 1, that number is expected to be eclipsed very shortly, especially with the move on the part of city government to a remote eviction filing system.

“We’ve changed our model from a very in-person driven process to one that’s working online,” Saragosa said, noting that while a backlog is expected due to huge demand, extensive preparation means that it’s expected to be measured in terms of weeks and not months.

“I don’t anticipate anything even remotely close to six months!” he said. “We’re cross-training all of our legal office assistants, our legal office specialists, we’re cross-training those individuals to help us process the eviction paperwork. We also have additional courtroom space that we’re able to dedicate to hearing just evictions.”

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – As the last days of the eviction moratorium tick away until the end of the ban finally occurs on May 31, lawmakers in the Nevada State Assembly have announced a new bill which, if passed and signed into law, would delay eviction proceedings for some tenants, reports say.

Assembly Bill 486 would mandate a pause to any eviction if the tenant in questions is in the process of acquiring funds from rental assistance programs, or if the landlord has refused to accept payments from rental assistance programs.

Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak has previously stated that he would not extend the eviction moratorium again once it runs out at the end of this month. A federal eviction moratorium – set into place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – is slated to end on June 30 if ongoing court challenges are unsuccessful in overturning it, and lawmakers are marketing that date for their bill’s provisions to come into force, if passed.

Bill 486 would also set up a $5 million fund from federal money that would be offered to Nevada residents in the form of rental assistance, with an additional $165 million coming from the congressional American Rescue Plan shortly afterwards.

In addition, the bill would also form a nonprofit called Home Means Nevada that will allow smaller-mom-and-pop landlords whose tenants have not paid their rent to directly apply for rental assistance themselves. Eligible landlords would have to earn less than $4 million a year in gross income from their combined rental properties, and they must own a single-family home.

The aim of the bill, according to lawmakers, is to stave off a massive flood of anticipated evictions in Nevada once the state and federal eviction moratoriums finally come to an end, with Governor Sisolak stating that the passage of this legislation is “critical.”

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – When you combine a relatively small amount of rentals with ever-increasing demand, only one thing is certain: princes are going to go up and up, and that’s exactly what they’re doing in Las Vegas, Nevada, according to recent reports.

A new study indicates that rental prices in the Southern Nevada region are rising at one of the highest rates in the United States, with real estate professionals noting that demand is the strongest it’s been in years, while the amount of rentals feeding that demand is shrinking by the day; “unprecedented” is the word that is being utilized the most recently in terms of the Las Vegas rental marketplace.

Home rental prices in Las Vegas in April 2021 have increased by over 11 percent from the same period of time one year ago, with an average rent rate of $1,460 per month, as per a Zillow report.

Las Vegas ranks fourth nationally in terms of rent growth, behind only Memphis, Phoenix, and Riverside; these four cities far outpace the year-over-year national average rental growth of three percent, reports say.

The COVID-19 pandemic, and the subsequent “work from home” culture that it spawned amid lockdown orders, have fueled a very real need for rental units and homes in the Southern Nevada region, especially among those who have required a temporary place to stay while awaiting availability among the fierce competition for Vegas’ limited for-sale home inventory.

In response to demand, at least 50 percent of landlords have raised their rental rates in recent weeks, as opposed to pre-pandemic levels, where that number would typically hover only in the 20 percent range at most.

Landlords are not concerned about tenants leaving due to high rents as they would have been before the advent of COVID-19; after all, with the faster-than-expected revival of the local economy and job market, a rental unit staying vacant for long is not something any local landlord worries about any more due to the “incredible” demand.

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.