The Center for Disease Control declared a moratorium on evictions for non-payment of rent until December 31, 2020.

But: This moratorium does not cover all tenants and eligible tenants must submit a sworn declaration to their landlords.

Under the Safe Harbor Act, tenants who owe rent on or after March 7, 2020, can raise COVID-19 financial hardship as a defense in an eviction case.

Governor Cuomo expanded the Safe Harbor Act to cover tenants who had non-payment cases or warrants from before March 7, 2020.

But: This order only prevents eviction until January 1, 2021, and tenants still must show that they suffered financial hardship during the pandemic.

Courts are open to a limited extent.

But: The courts have a big backlog and many eviction cases still don't have court dates.

Marshals can still evict tenants in holdover cases and in non-payment cases where the tenant can’t show COVID-19 financial hardship.

But: Since the courts are so backlogged, it's not clear when legal evictions will start happening - it could be weeks or months away. Check Right to Counsel for the latest information.

If you received court papers about a new nonpayment case after March 17, you should file an answer as soon as you can. Also, the court should mail you a letter with instructions on how to answer, including how to answer by telephone.