NORTH LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A crowd of renters and landlords filled the North Las Vegas Justice Court for eviction proceedings Tuesday.
Renters owed payments between $1200 to $32,000, and many told Judge Belinda Harris they had no way to pay. All the tenants represented themselves in court Tuesday, while many landlords had private counsel.
Terry Moore, a lawyer for many of the landlords, said there’s a backlog of eviction filings.
“There have been a large number of filings, especially in North Las Vegas,” Moore said. “They’re having these afternoon sessions so they can get through everybody and make it easier for everyone to attend.”
According to a report from Princeton University’s Eviction Lab, June saw a 170 percent increase in eviction filings in the Las Vegas valley compared to the same month before the pandemic.
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The huge uptick could be partly explained by the June 5 expiration of Assembly Bill 486, a 2021 pandemic protection that prevented eviction if tenants applied for the CARES Housing Assistance program.
“It’s not a situation that is black or white or even grey,” Judge Harris said. “It’s very, very colorful and very, very complex.”
Moore said there has been a misconception that landlords don’t want to help their tenants.
“It’s an unfortunate situation when tenants, sometimes at no fault of their own, lose their jobs and cannot pay the rent,” Moore said. “Nevada has a unique summary eviction proceeding that allows the landlord to regain possession in a fairly quick manner. It’s not unfair to tenants. The court gives them very detailed forms. It gives them all of the information they need to know to come in and defend themselves.”
He said landlords don’t want to evict people.
“When you sit down through these hearings, you hear these very large amounts,” he said. “There was one in there who owed $25,000. That doesn’t accrue over a couple of months. The landlord has been trying to work with the tenant for many months."
Several state lawmakers were seen in court Tuesday. Assemblywomen Clara Thomas and Brittney Miller told Channel 13 they are concerned about the aftermath of evicted tenants.
“Understanding that not everyone has the means to pay back,” Miller said. “The real question is, where do people go from here?”
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As a result of the June 5 eviction protection expiration, legal services will be available in North Las Vegas justice court every Wednesday beginning July 26 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
