Jon Gorey - Globe Correspondent December 10, 2020 11:00 pm
Eviction filings in Massachusetts have been climbing since a statewide moratorium expired in October. And while Governor Charlie Baker has allocated an extra $171 million to tenant and landlord relief programs, eviction cases are expected to climb even faster in the new year, after a federal moratorium issued by the Centers for Disease Control expires on December 31.
The double-edged COVID housing crisis threatens both tenants a quarter of whom were unable to pay rent on time in December, according to the National Multifamily Housing Council and small landlords, who often rely on that rent to pay their own mortgages. Both groups are key constituents for real estate brokers, which is one reason the Massachusetts Association of Realtors (MAR) has created a first-in-the-nation scholarship program that will fund mediation training for its members through the Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration (MOPC).�