Legally Speaking
A year like no other
Challenges, changes will dominate 2021 industry story lines after tumultuous 2020 By Blythe Edmondson, Attorney at Law
2020 was not what anyone expected. This time last year legislation regarding rent control appeared to be the point to contend with for 2020. We were prepared for some unfavorable bills in the Arizona Legislature, but nobody could have predicted the onslaught we would face with COVID-19. The buck stopped with the rental property owners each and every time, and I am incredibly proud of our community and how we have weathered the storm to date. While I hope with the COVID vaccine some things will get back to “normal,” we need to be prepared for the continued attack on
in Arizona Rules allowing non-lawyers to represent individuals in
our industry and be aware of policy changes that may benefit our
limited situations.
industry and harm our industry.
We hope this will lead to increased education regarding the evic-
On the national stage, we can expect a better than 50/50 chance that the Centers for Disease Control moratorium will be extended. We may have a small window in January without it. The Joe Biden/Kamala Harris plan for housing may be stopped by a Republican Senate, but we can expect to see at least an attempt to increase Section
tion process for residents, but the exact ramifications remain to
2020 was a rough year, and we don’t have a crystal ball looking into 2021.” – Blythe Edmondson
be seen. Be prepared for legislation to establish rent control and to extend the time before starting and/or completing the eviction process. Given the make-up of our Arizona Legislature for 2021, the likelihood of these types of bills passing is not great, but
8 funding, more funding for subsidized housing development, a
the narrative will continue to be pushed as some try to inch closer
possible renter tax credit, and changes to attempt to strengthen
to additional regulation on the rental housing industry.
fair housing regulations.
Resident advocates are expecting a three-prong wave of evictions
The lawsuit, Brown v. CDC in Georgia, will continue to be critical for
in 2021.
industry as we fight to our protect rights. On a state level, we will likely see non-attorney advocates appearing in court to assist renters in eviction actions due to a change
Apartment News | January/February 2021
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