RRHA’s eviction rate increases

Housing unit applies ‘tough love’ to collect tenants’ back rent

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Richmond’s public housing landlord continues to proceed more slowly than private landlords in seeking to oust residents who have built up large, unpaid rent balances.

But the process has begun to gain a little steam, according to the February report from the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority.

As of the February report, RRHA had secured 149 unlawful detainers, the court order that allows RRHA to schedule an eviction, up from three in September 2022 and 95 in November.

As of February, RRHA had completed the eviction process against 20 families, up from five in November. The authority also issued 517 late notices in February, the most since lease enforcement was restarted in January 2022.

Though eviction numbers remain low, there are still plenty of families still at risk of removal from public housing.

Last month, RRHA reported that 1,846 families were behind on rent, or about 60 percent of the 3,100 households who occupy public housing and about the same level as has been reported in previous months.

Of those in arrears, 428 households owed $500 to $999, RRHA reported, while 579 households owed $1,000 to $4,999 and 68 households owed $5,000 or more. In other words, nearly 60 percent of households in arrears owed $500 more.

The total owed by all tenants in arrears, according to RRHA: $1.23 million.

Steven B. Nesmith, RRHA’s chief executive officer, said that tenants who are behind continue to be urged to set up