Somerville Bans Evictions During Coronavirus Crisis

SOMERVILLE, MA — The city enacted a moratorium on residential and commercial evictions over the weekend in response to the coronavirus. Mayor Joseph Curtatone and the Somerville Board of Health announced two orders, which ban the physical act of eviction within the city limits and the in-person showing of rental units to prospective new tenants during the emergency.

The City Council unanimously passed measures in support of both actions.

Previous orders have closed schools, limited events, closed playgrounds, suspended team sports, closed restaurants and bars except for pickup and delivery, closed non-essential personal services and retail, and shut down all non-essential construction. To date, Somerville has had a total of 49 persons test positive for COVID-19, nine of whom have recovered.

"Everyone is safest at home right now, but that is a meaningless message if you are facing eviction," Curtatone said in a statement. "Every level of government must act now to ensure that each of us has the safe harbor of home as this health crisis deepens. Cities can’t control eviction laws and courts, but in Somerville we can and will stop the physical eviction of both our residents and local businesses."

The Somerville Eviction Moratorium does not prevent owners from filing eviction cases or getting what is known as "executions for possession”"from the courts. It prohibits "levying," which is the physical removal of persons and belongings.

Somerville residents who receive a "notice of levy" eviction order or who are experiencing a physical eviction should immediately contact 311 (617-666-3311) to be connected to Office of Housing Stability staff (for residential tenants or homeowners) or Economic Development Division staff (for commercial tenants), who will work with landlords, and the Somerville Police Department as necessary, to intervene.

The order does not protect tenants from eviction once the Board of Health determines that the public health emergency no longer exists. Residents are advised to continue to make payments or work out payment plans with their landlords or lenders.

The order also does not clear any tenant or homeowner of owed rent or mortgage debt. There may be some rental and mortgage assistance available. Somerville residents should contact the Office of Housing Stability at 617-625-66000 x2581 for assistance.

Somerville Office of Housing Stability staff is all working remotely through the crisis to aid both tenants and owners. The Economic Development team is working intensively to support local businesses. Community members in need, should contact these offices:

Information on how to apply for unemployment, cash benefits, rental support and more for those facing financial impacts from COVID-19 are available on the City’s www.somervillema.gov/coronavirus page and are regularly updated. Anyone in Somerville facing housing insecurity should contact the Office of Housing Stability at 617-625-66000 x2581. Please also visit www.somervillema.gov/OHS for additional housing information and updates. Local businesses seeking information on support available should visit www.somervillema.gov/CovidBizHelp or call 311 (617-666-3311) to connect to Economic Development staff.

For more information and regular COVID-19 updates, visit www.somervillema.gov/coronavirus and sign up for City alerts at www.somervillema.gov/Alerts. We urge you to sign up for every alert method you are able to receive: phone call, text, email. Also follow FB.com/SomervilleCity and @SomervilleCity.