JACKSONVILLE, Fla — The first of the month is right around the corner which means another round of bills as many people still wait for their unemployment benefits.
It's a trifecta of problems: people are stuck on pending and can't get money, they can't pay bills including rent, and the moratorium on evictions will expire July 1.
Governor Ron DeSantis extended the moratorium from June 2 to July 1. While there is a chance that could happen again, attorney Glenn Banner says you should start looking at your options now.
“I would not be surprised if there was a lot of evictions filed in the month of July," Banner said.
He says you should first look at your lease. Read the fine print. Your lease is your legally binding agreement with your landlord.
"You should reach out to your landlords or the property management company and let them know 'hey I’ve been struggling'," Banner said. "I haven’t been gainfully employed in a couple of weeks, a couple of months. See if the landlord will work with them, maybe a payment plan where they can defer some of the payments to the end of the lease.”
People like Lisa Hindi are stuck on pending after applying for unemployment benefits in May. She called the unemployment hotline and says she was told it would take six to eight weeks to process her claim.
“I had to pay some money on my rent but I don’t know where the rest of it is going to come from," said Hindi.
She's in contact with her landlord about her position. “I told the lady, because she called me, that I’ll give her what I have," Hindi explained. "I’m not working as of yet but I am still looking. She asked for another payment on the 20th. I said I can’t help you if I am not working."
Banner says once the moratorium is lifted, your landlord has the legal right to evict you, but it won't happen overnight.
Banner broke down the process for First Coast News.
Banner says don't wait until last minute to talk with your landlord and see if you can work something out.
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