A federal eviction ban no longer exists in most of the country, and the numbers are starting to show it.
According to the Eviction Lab at Princeton University, eviction filings in several metros are now running well above their pre-pandemic averages — in some cases by 30% to 50%.
Courts in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Houston, and Jacksonville are among the busiest.
Landlords who held off during the moratorium years are now filing at a faster clip, and tenant aid groups say the backlog is colliding with rising rents and thinner savings.
The federal CDC eviction moratorium ended in August 2021.
A limited version tied to certain federally backed properties and some states lingered longer, but today there is no nationwide protection.
Only a handful of states and cities — including California, New York, and parts of Washington — still require extra notice or mediation before a filing can move forward.
Where you live now determines how much time you get between a missed payment and a court date.
In some Southern states, that window can be as short as a few days.
In others, it stretches to 30 days or more plus a mandatory settlement conference.
Rental assistance money is also drying up.
The Treasury's Emergency Rental Assistance program stopped taking new applications in most places by 2023, and the leftover funds that remain are often first-come, first-served.
In cities like Houston and Phoenix, local aid portals regularly cap applications within hours of opening.
Here's what actually helps if you're behind.
Apply for local rental assistance the day you sense trouble, not after a notice arrives — many programs require an open case or a pending filing to prioritize you.
A surprising share of eviction judgments happen simply because the tenant never showed up.
Third, ask about mediation and legal aid; several cities now fund free tenant attorneys, and having one can cut the odds of a judgment significantly.
If you're a landlord or a renter watching this from the sidelines, the practical takeaway is the same: this is a paperwork and timing game right now, not a moral one.
The rules vary block by block, and the people who lose are usually the ones who didn't know a deadline existed until it passed. **Our take:** The end of a national moratorium was never going to be a single dramatic moment — it's a slow grind of filings, court dates, and exhausted aid funds.
Final Thoughts
Renters should treat any missed payment as urgent the same week it happens, and cities that still offer mediation should be shouting about it louder than they are.